S. Samuel
Bad Boy Records CEO Diddy had to dig into his pockets and shell out nearly $1 million to the victims of his notorious 1999 New York City club shooting.
According to reports, Puffy quietly paid the large sum to three victims of the shooting.
Sean “Diddy” Combs paid $850,000 out of his own pocket to settle claims by victims of a notorious 1999 shooting at Club New York, court papers revealed yesterday. Combs had been partying at the now-shuttered club with then-gal pal Jennifer Lopez and protege Jamal “Shyne” Barrow when a dispute with fellow clubgoers led Barrow to open fire. Three innocent bystanders were shot — and sued Combs, Barrow and the club. Combs was acquitted of gun charges in the incident. Barrow was convicted of shooting two of the victims. (New York Post)
Last summer, reports claimed the hip-hop mogul also made payments in the civil suits.
Sean “Diddy” Combs, his former protégé Jamal “Shyne” Barrow and the now-defunct Times Square hot spot struck a deal earlier this year with three clubgoers shot by Barrow in the notorious 1999 melee, court records show. The exact terms of the settlements were unknown because of confidentiality agreements between the parties, but former Club New York owner Michael Bergos, who did not sign the confidentiality deal, said the most seriously injured victim, Natania Reuben, was paid $1.8 million. Reuben, 40, was shot in the nose and suffered seizures because of seven bullet fragments still lodged in her face. (New York Post)
Back in 2010, former Bad Boy Records rapper Shyne recounted how the shooting went down.
“I can tell you I was defending myself and the muthaf*ckas that was with me,” Shyne explains. “Listen, I live my life for what’s right. When I grew up, death and harsh consequences and spending the rest of your life in the pen is a matter of fact. It’s not somethin’ that you read about in the newspaper…In my life, when I make decisions to roll, I roll. And I don’t give a f*ck what the consequences are. If I’ma defend myself, I’ma defend myself. If somebody tryna kill or hurt one of my partnas or my comrades that’s with me, there is no, ‘Yo… or D*mn, well, if I pull this sh*t out, this is what’s gonna happen.’ No! I don’t wanna die. I don’t wanna be laid up in no f*ckin’ hospital with a tube runnin’ through me, hurtin’ and sufferin’. Pain is real. So you know what? I’m not doin’ that. You gon’ do that, muthaf*cka. You gon’ roll and say hi to Satan, not me. And that’s that. After the fact, you deal with it. Your survival instincts tell you to protect and preserve, and you deal with whatever later.” (XXL Magazine)
The publicized shooting took place in late December 1999 at the height of the rapper’s popularity.
The fracas broke out on December 27, 1999, at a Manhattan nightclub where Shyne, Sean “Diddy” Combs with then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez and their entourage had been partying. Around 3 a.m., Combs and Shyne allegedly began arguing with another group of patrons. Someone threw money at Combs, a gesture of disrespect, and guns started going off. Three bystanders were shot. Shyne, who police found with a pistol in his waistband, was arrested after bystanders identified him as one of the shooters. Shyne received a 10-year prison. Barrow has always claimed he acted in self-defense and only fired his gun after the other group, Matthew “Scar” Allen and his crew began shooting. (About)
