Recently jailed Suge Knight may be the last target
in a series of gang-related shootings that began in 1997 as a result of the
rap mogul firing one of his former bodyguards according to published reports.
The LA Times reported that 4 of the 8 men killed
thus far were close associates of Knight. Now, the authorities think the Death
Row’s Back C.E.O. may be next.
"Word on the street is there’s a hit out
on Suge Knight," said Det. Michael Caouette of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s
Department.
Knight, however, in his trademark defiant manner
dismissed the threats against his life as an everyday occurrence.
"It’s not just my friends getting killed,"
Knight said. "Black men get murdered every day in the ghetto. I’m not nervous.
I got no reason to be scared."
Reports from police and gang members state during Death Row’s initial rise to
prominence during the ’90s, Knight became embedded in disputes between rival
gangs. He then added further angst among those involved when he fired the bodyguard
who allegedly ordered several gang killings.
The body has sworn revenge, and has since aligned
himself with a drug dealer and fellow gang member with the intent of taking
out those close to Knight, one by one, according to the Times.
Knight was apprehended on June 27 for allegedly
striking a parking valet in Hollywood and will serve 10 months in jail for violating
parole.