Los Angeles Times article places Sean "Diddy" Combs as mastermind behind Tupac Shakur's shooting outside Quad Recording Studios

In an article released by the Los Angeles Times on March 17th, 2008 staff writer Chuck Phillips places Sean Combs and other affiliates of Bad Boy Records as having ties with the assailants involved in Tupac Shakur’s Nov. 30th, 1994 shooting outside Quad Recording Studios on New York’s 7th Avenue. The article takes accounts from unidentified FBI informants from 2002.

According to FBI reports, Bad Boy associates talent manager Jimmy “Henchman” Rosemond and promoter James Sabatino orchestrated the attack to appear as a robbery. The reason for the attack was reportedly due to the fact Shakur refused to sign with Comb’s label Bad Boy Records, according to FBI reports. Shakur had been hired to lay vocals for one of Rosemond’s rappers but his motive was to get Shakur to the studio in order to have him taught a lesson for his provocative behavior around New York. Apparently on the tenth floor Sean Combs, Christopher “B.I.G.” Wallace and other members of the Junior Mafia were present for the recording of Junior Mafia’s first album, and all were aware of the attack that was about to take place.

Upon entering the studio, Shakur was confronted by three men who told him to give up his jewelry. Shakur refused and was repeatedly pistol whipped by all three. Shakur then drew his weapon and shots were exchanged. The three escaped the building with Shakur’s chain and medallion valued at approximately $40,000. Shakur had been shot four times; once in the head, once in the thigh, once in the hand, and once in the groin. Pac crawled to the elevator and rode it up to the tenth floor where he was met by the members of Bad Boy records including Combs, Rosemond, and Wallace. In an interview with Vibe magazine Rosemond claimed that Pac accused him on sight of the shooting, "Why you let them know I'm coming here? You was the only who knew, man. Why?". While Pac managed to get himself to a couch he proceeded to roll a joint then call his girlfriend to notify his mother of the assault while bleeding profusely.

One day after the shooting Shakur, heavily bandaged, was rolled into court in a wheelchair and sentenced to four and a half years in prison for sexual assault, which he vehemently denied ever being involved with. The events that followed have been well documented including his signing with Death Row Records and the start of an east coast/west coast war which included the murder of Suge Knight’s bodyguard in Atlanta and the eventual slaying of Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace.