Shyne (real name Moses Michael Levi Barrow), the rapper turned elected member of the House of Representatives, affirmed he was the fall guy for the 1999 Club shooting involving Sean “Diddy” Combs in a recent interview.
Amid the buzz of Diddy’s legal woes, Shyne did an interview in which he maintained his innocence about his part in the 1999 Club New York shooting after serving eight years for it. Influencer DJ Akademiks posted the interview on his Instagram on April 18.
“I’ve done my best to put it behind me and to move forward,” the Belizean rapper who serves as the Leader of the Opposition in the Belize House of Representatives said. 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 detractors tried to make me into this criminal.”
Shyne persisted, bringing up the TikTok confession from one of the victims of the shooting, Natania Reuben, who was shot in the face and maintained Diddy did it.
“Everyone knew that I was a young kid that took the fall. Everyone knew that that was the story,” Shyne said. “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. I understand that there are other witnesses.”
Shyne refused to say whether or not Reuben was accurate.
“It does open wounds, and certainly, I am relieved that people are saying what the truth is…that I did not shoot those people,” he said. “I maintain that I ain’t ever shoot nobody…that there were other guns. They’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.”
Shyne assures he has moved on from the incident. He even showed a little love to Diddy.
“I am appreciative of whatever contributions Diddy has made to help the people of Belize. I wish him well. I pray for him, and I pray for the alleged victims. And if it is true, may justice be served. If it is not, it’s a tragedy because a global icon would’ve been destroyed.”
On Feb. 28, Reuben took to TikTok asserting that Diddy was her assailant and accused him of harassing her for the past 24 years, like slashing her tires.
“I got shot in my face with a 9-millimeter hollow point bullet called the ‘cop killer,’” She said. “I watched him. I got ‘pow powed’ in the face. I watched him fire the gun; I’ve said it all this time. Even the surgeon who did my surgery to take out part of the bullet fragments that was aspirating into my lung and trying to remove as many bullet fragments as possible testified in the criminal trial that while they were putting me under, I was screaming, ‘Puffy ‘pew pew’ me in the face.’”
Reuben and Shyne’s statements came after producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones filed a lawsuit against the music mogle, accusing him of sexual assault and sex trafficking. He also claimed Diddy admitted to being responsible for the club shooting and that his then-girlfriend, Jennifer Lopez, handed him the gun.
