Watch CBS News

Investigator: Video Shows Suge Knight Was Targeted By Shooter

WEST HOLLYWOOD (CBSLA.com) — A sheriff's investigator says Death Row Records founder Marion "Suge" Knight was the apparent target of a gunman who shot him and two others at a pre-MTV Video Music Awards party at a Sunset Strip nightclub.

Knight, 49, was shot shortly after arriving early Sunday morning at the party, hosted by singer Chris Brown, which was at the 1OAK nightclub, 9039 W. Sunset Blvd., according to Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. John Corina said.

"Video shows the suspect with a handgun firing at Knight at striking the two other victims who were in his vicinity," Corina said, after reviewing video shot by surveillance cameras. "After the shooting, people who were in the club started running for the exits, along with the suspect."

The gunman, who is being sought, is believed to have targeted Knight, but it is not known whether the other victims were targets or innocent bystanders, Corina said.

During the shooting, which was reported to 911 at 1:36 a.m. Sunday, Knight was struck several times in the stomach, authorities said. He was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he underwent surgery and is expected to recover.

A 33-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman were also wounded. One victim was taken to a hospital in critical condition, but both were expected to recover, Los Angeles County Fire Dispatch Supervisor Robert Diaz said.

Knight was previously shot in 2005 at a pre-awards party hosted by Kanye West in Miami. Knight was also the driver of the BMW 750 in which Tupac Shakur was shot and killed in Las Vegas in 1996. Knight was struck by bullet fragments in that incident.

"It's disappointing that we as a society can't have fun or enjoy ourselves without any altercations sometimes," Brown tweeted Sunday.

(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.