CNN reports that according to a law enforcement source, the investigation into the 13-year old unsolved murder of Christopher Wallace aka the Notorious B.I.G., was “reinvigorated” months ago when new information surfaced. However, the source would not elaborate any further because of the ongoing investigation that includes the Los Angeles Police Department, L.A. County District Attorney’s Office and the FBI.
Wallace was shot and killed on March 9th, 1997 while driving away from a party in LA. The Los Angeles police found in the initial investigation that a lone black male pulled alongside Wallace’s vehicle, who was in the passenger seat, and opened fire.
Retired Los Angeles Police Detective Russell Poole, who worked on the Wallace case more than a decade ago, told CNN that he believes Suge Knight was behind the murder as a revenge hit for Tupac Shakur, who was murdered in a similar style a year earlier and also remains unsolved.
Knight was the head of Death Row Records during the infamous East/ West beef of the mid-90’s, which was primarily between Death Row, which was owned by Suge Knight and whom Tupac was signed to, and Bad Boy Records, which was owned by Puff Daddy and whom Biggie was signed to.
“Suge Knight ordered the hit,” Poole said, adding that he believes it was arranged by Reggie Wright Jr., who headed security for Death Row Records.
Poole retired early from the LAPD, partly because he was prevented from following leads in the Wallace case involving police officers, some of whom worked off-duty for Death Row Records.
“I think I was getting too close to the truth,” Poole said. “I think they feared that the truth would be a scandal.”
Poole also assisted Wallace’s family in their wrongful death lawsuit against the Los Angeles Police Department alleging a cover-up in the investigation.
We’ll keep you posted as new information comes in.