How Did Biggie Smalls Die?

16 Facts About Notorious B.I.G.'s Murder That Only Get More Haunting With Time

March 10, 2018 by Britt Stephens

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Biggie's murder took place on the last day he was supposed to be in LA. On March 8, Biggie attended a Soul Train Awards afterparty hosted by Vibe magazine at the Petersen Automotive Museum. The event brought out his BFF Sean "Diddy" Combs, wife Faith Evans, and fellow musician Aaliyah. A number of members of the Bloods and Crips gangs were also in attendance. Biggie and Diddy didn't decide to go to the party until that afternoon, and Diddy was told that it would be "a closed event for music executives" and that security "would not be a problem."
The party was later shut down by authorities. The LA Fire Department shut down the Vibe party due to overcrowding, and at around 12:30 a.m. PT, Biggie, Diddy, and other members of their entourage waited outside for valets to bring their cars. They debated whether to go to another party or head back to the Westwood Marquis before Diddy decided they were better off just going to their hotel.
There were no bodyguards in the car with Biggie. Diddy sat in the passenger seat of a white Chevy Suburban with a driver and three bodyguards, while Biggie did the same in a green Suburban. He was joined by two friends, Damion "D-Roc" Butler and Junior M.A.F.I.A. member Lil' Cease, and a driver, Gregory "G-Money" Young, but no security.
Diddy's car ran through a yellow light at Wilshire Boulevard as the signal turned red, leaving Biggie's car stopped at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and South Fairfax Avenue. A white Toyota Land Cruiser made a U-turn at Wilshire, attempting to cut between the Suburban that Biggie was in and a Chevy Blazer being driven by Bad Boy Records' director of security. At that same moment, a black Impala SS pulled up on the right side of Biggie's vehicle.
The Impala driver is said to have looked Biggie in the eye before opening fire. The driver was alone in the sedan and reportedly "a black male whose blue suit, bow tie, and fade haircut suggested Louis Farrakhan's Nation of Islam sect." He is said to have looked Biggie in the eye for a moment before reaching across his body with "a blue-steel automatic pistol held in his right hand." He emptied the gun into the front passenger seat where Biggie sat. He was the only passenger to be hit by the bullets. The Chevy Impala sped off on Wilshire, and the Land Cruiser made another U-turn and drove off as well.
After hearing gunshots, Diddy took action. Everyone inside the white Suburban ducked before hearing that Biggie was under attack. Diddy jumped out of the car, ran across Wilshire Boulevard, and opened the passenger-side door, where Biggie was hunched over the dashboard, bleeding through his jacket. Diddy would later tell police that he had tried to communicate with Biggie but that he just stared back with a wide-eyed, blank expression. Diddy then jumped into the back of Biggie's Suburban, while his driver pushed Gregory Young aside and drove straight to the emergency loading dock at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, which was less than five minutes away.
Biggie underwent emergency surgery. It took six people to lift Biggie onto a gurney at the hospital, where doctors performed an emergency thoracotomy. Diddy and his entourage "dropped to their knees and prayed" in the waiting room, but the surgery was unsuccessful, and Biggie was pronounced dead at 1:15 a.m.

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How Did Biggie Smalls Die?

16 Facts About Notorious B.I.G.'s Murder That Only Get More Haunting With Time

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