Shyne Says He Was the Fall Guy in Diddy’s 1999 Club Shooting

Shyne is maintaining his innocence in Diddy‘s 1999 Club New York shooting, saying he was the fall guy for the incident.

Shyne Says He Took the Fall for Diddy’s 1999 Club New York Shooting

During an interview with Channel 5 Belize, published on Wednesday (April 17), Shyne spoke on the incident, acknowledging claims made by one of the shooting victims, Natania Reuben, who insists Diddy shot her. The former Bad Boy Records artist, who was at his musical prime when the life-changing incident transpired in December of 1999, told Channel 5, “It opens wounds when you hear, you know, the victim saying that, you know, it was Diddy that shot her… and that was triggered by a lawsuit from a producer that produced on the Love Album who is making accusations.”

The producer Shyne was referring to is Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, who recently accused Diddy of sexual assault and harassment, prior to the mogul’s homes in New York and Miami being raided in connection to sexual assault allegations and sex trafficking.

Shyne, also a political figure, specifically titled the Leader of the Opposition, in his home country of Belize, continued, “And in those accusations, he says that the gentleman confessed to the shooting. And that is what stands out to me the most because, you know, I’ve done my best to put it behind me and to move forward. But it certainly reopens the wounds that I’ve been saying this all along, everyone knew all along that I was the fall guy. But my political enemies and, you know, detractors try to make me into, you know, this criminal. But everyone knew that I was a young kid that took the fall. Everyone knew that, that was the story. I’m just saying that I maintained my innocence all this time. I said I was defending myself, I didn’t get into who did what, but the victim is telling you who did what and I understand that there are other witnesses.”

“I’m not going to get into that, but it does open wounds and certainly I am relieved that people are saying what the truth is, that I did not shoot those people,” Shyne added when asked if the victim who’s accusing Diddy is accurate. “I maintain that I never shoot nobody, that there were other guns there. I’ve always said that, that has not changed and that is the testimony that came out. Fragments were never removed so there was never any forensic testing to say who it was, but the victims are vindicating me. Witnesses are vindicating me, but I have moved on, I am not trying to relive that.”

Shyne also noted that he is appreciative of the contributions Diddy has made to help the people of his country, extending prayers and well wishes to him.

Read More: Shyne Involved in NYC Nightclub Shooting – Today in Hip-Hop

Details on 1999 Club New York Shooting

On Dec. 27, 1999, 21-year-old Shyne reportedly pulled out a gun and fired shots after a fight brought out in Manhattan’s Club New York nightclub where Shyne was with Diddy and Diddy’s then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez. The fight apparently broke out in the VIP section of the club after Diddy allegedly knocked a drink out of a man’s hand, followed by someone throwing money at Diddy. Three people were injured, and Diddy and J. Lo fled the scene, later being apprehended by police with a concealed weapon in their car.

In June of 2001, about a year-and-a-half after the Club New York catastrophe, Shyne was found guilty of two counts of assault, reckless endangerment and gun possession, and
sentenced to 10 years in prison for the shooting. He was initially being charged with attempted murder, assault, reckless endangerment and weapons possession. Billboard reported at the time that Shyne admitted during the trial that he pulled out a gun and fired shots during the quarrel between Diddy and another man at the New York City nightclub.

Read More: Authorities Could Reinvestigate Shyne Shooting Involving Diddy

Diddy’s Former Security Guards Says Puff Helped Get Shyne Convicted

Diddy, who was being tried separately for the concealed weapon and bribing his driver to take ownership of the gun on his behalf, was acquitted on all charges. It’s also worth noting that Puff didn’t put his high-powered legal team on Shyne’s case, which some considered an unfair move. Years later, Diddy’s former security guard, Gene Deal, accused Diddy of having a hand in Shyne getting convicted, explaining in an interview with The Art of Dialogue in 2022 that Puff urged witnesses that were brought to him to testify against Shyne. These witnesses were reportedly unbeknownst to the District Attorney prior to.

Read More: Diddy’s Former Security Accuses Puff of Getting Shyne in Prison

Shyne’s Fall Happened Before His Rise

Less than a year after the shooting, Shyne released his self-titled album, which included his two hit singles, “Bad Boyz” featuring Barrington Levy and “Bonnie & Shyne,” both of which saw much promise for the Belizean rapper, whose career could’ve seen higher heights had he not fallen victim to the fate of that dreadful December night in 1999. Especially considering “Bad Boyz” spent 11 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and peaked at No. 57, showing signs of impending success for Shyne that ultimately came to an abrupt halt. Following Shyne’s release from prison in 2009, he was deported back to Belize where he turned to a career in politics and practiced his faith of Judaism, which he studied while behind bars.

Shyne has had aspirations of becoming Belize’s Prime Minister, a position Diddy offered public support for as recently as August of 2023. Shyne recently lost in Belize’s Municipal Elections and says he’ll step down from Leader of Opposition if he loses in the next general election.

Watch Shyne’s Full Interview With Channel 5 Belize Below