Two bodyguards for hip-hop superstar Ja Rule are suspected of gunning down a pair of men one fatally after a party for the rapper at a Midtown nightclub.
The shooting may have been revenge for the robbery of a brother of Ja Rule's bosomy buddy, racy rapper Foxy Brown, law-enforcement sources said.
Security-camera tape seized by the NYPD after the shooting at 3:45 a.m. on Dec. 27 showed part of the action when Ja Rule and his entourage emerged from the LQ nightclub, and two of his protectors peeled off and allegedly opened fire.
When the smoke cleared, two ex-cons connected to the hip-hop world were hit.
William "Willie Bang Bang" Clark, 39, was fatally shot, and Troy Moore, 37, was wounded.
Moore is the older brother of Tyran "Ta-Ta" Moore, who has been linked to the massive federal murder and drug probe surrounding the record label formerly known as Murder Inc., which launched the careers of Ja Rule and Ashanti.
Sources say investigators want to question Ja Rule's bodyguards in connection with the shooting. They also want to quiz the megastar rapper, his chauffeur and a young woman who was with him at the time of the slaying.
"We think Ja Rule had to know what his people were about to do," one law-enforcement source said.
Both victims were well known in the tight-knit universe of rappers from Queens that includes Ja Rule, who was born Jeffrey Atkins and reared in Hollis.
Sources said rumors persisted in rap circles that Clark and Moore had ripped off one of Foxy Brown's two brothers in an incident that was never reported to police.
Clark spent 12 years in jail for weapons possession, and was freed last August.
Moore, who did two stints in prison for weapons possession and assault, was more widely recognized because of his brother, Tyran. Tyran is an ex-lover of Sandra "Pepa" Denton from the groundbreaking female rap group Salt'N'Pepa and a longtime associate of drug kingpin Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, whose cash allegedly started Murder Inc.
Ja Rule's bodyguards noticed Clark and Moore when they strolled into LQ's VIP lounge.
"Can you believe the b- - -s of these guys coming here?" one bodyguard said to another.
NYPD detectives have huddled with Manhattan prosecutors, who are weighing murder and assault charges. They are mulling going to the U.S. attorney to bring a federal charge of conspiracy to commit murder.
Ja Rule's lawyer, Murray Richman, denied the rapper or his employees had anything to do with the shootings.
Source: RapNewsDirect.com
The shooting may have been revenge for the robbery of a brother of Ja Rule's bosomy buddy, racy rapper Foxy Brown, law-enforcement sources said.
Security-camera tape seized by the NYPD after the shooting at 3:45 a.m. on Dec. 27 showed part of the action when Ja Rule and his entourage emerged from the LQ nightclub, and two of his protectors peeled off and allegedly opened fire.
When the smoke cleared, two ex-cons connected to the hip-hop world were hit.
William "Willie Bang Bang" Clark, 39, was fatally shot, and Troy Moore, 37, was wounded.
Moore is the older brother of Tyran "Ta-Ta" Moore, who has been linked to the massive federal murder and drug probe surrounding the record label formerly known as Murder Inc., which launched the careers of Ja Rule and Ashanti.
Sources say investigators want to question Ja Rule's bodyguards in connection with the shooting. They also want to quiz the megastar rapper, his chauffeur and a young woman who was with him at the time of the slaying.
"We think Ja Rule had to know what his people were about to do," one law-enforcement source said.
Both victims were well known in the tight-knit universe of rappers from Queens that includes Ja Rule, who was born Jeffrey Atkins and reared in Hollis.
Sources said rumors persisted in rap circles that Clark and Moore had ripped off one of Foxy Brown's two brothers in an incident that was never reported to police.
Clark spent 12 years in jail for weapons possession, and was freed last August.
Moore, who did two stints in prison for weapons possession and assault, was more widely recognized because of his brother, Tyran. Tyran is an ex-lover of Sandra "Pepa" Denton from the groundbreaking female rap group Salt'N'Pepa and a longtime associate of drug kingpin Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, whose cash allegedly started Murder Inc.
Ja Rule's bodyguards noticed Clark and Moore when they strolled into LQ's VIP lounge.
"Can you believe the b- - -s of these guys coming here?" one bodyguard said to another.
NYPD detectives have huddled with Manhattan prosecutors, who are weighing murder and assault charges. They are mulling going to the U.S. attorney to bring a federal charge of conspiracy to commit murder.
Ja Rule's lawyer, Murray Richman, denied the rapper or his employees had anything to do with the shootings.
Source: RapNewsDirect.com
