Murder of the Notorious B.I.G.

On March 9, 1997, Christopher George Latore Wallace, the rapper known as The Notorious B.I.G. (also known as Biggie Smalls or Biggie), was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles, California. Wallace, 24, was leaving a party at the Petersen Automotive Museum on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile district when an unknown assailant in a dark-colored Chevrolet Impala SS pulled alongside his GMC Suburban and fired multiple rounds, striking Wallace four times. He was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead in the early morning hours. [His murder, occurring just six months after the similarly unsolved killing of rival rapper Tupac Shakur, remains one of the most high-profile cold cases in American history.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/03/09/notorious-big-biggie-murder-unsolved/)

Wallace was born on May 21, 1972, in Brooklyn, New York, and grew up in the Clinton Hill neighborhood. He demonstrated exceptional verbal ability from a young age and began rapping as a teenager. His debut album, "Ready to Die," released in 1994 on Sean "Puffy" Combs's Bad Boy Records, was a critical and commercial success that established him as one of the greatest rappers of all time. [His second album, "Life After Death," was released just sixteen days after his murder and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.](https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/notorious-big-life-after-death-number-one-debut-1997)

The shooting occurred in the context of the East Coast-West Coast hip-hop rivalry that had dominated the music industry for years. Wallace and Tupac Shakur, formerly friends, had become bitter rivals, with each releasing diss tracks targeting the other. The rivalry was fueled by their respective record labels — Bad Boy Records (East Coast) and Death Row Records (West Coast) — and by media coverage that amplified personal conflicts between the artists.

Wallace had traveled to Los Angeles in March 1997 to promote "Life After Death" and attend the Soul Train Music Awards. On the night of March 9, he attended a party hosted by Vibe magazine and Qwest Records at the Petersen Automotive Museum. When the party ended at approximately 12:30 a.m., Wallace left in the front passenger seat of a Suburban driven by his entourage. As the vehicle waited at a red light at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and South Fairfax Avenue, a dark Chevrolet Impala pulled alongside and a lone assailant fired multiple shots. Wallace was struck in the hip, left arm, back, and left thigh. The fatal bullet penetrated his colon, liver, heart, and left lung.

Despite an extensive investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department, no arrests have been made. The case was complicated by allegations of LAPD corruption — particularly the involvement of officers associated with the department's Rampart scandal and Death Row Records.

[Multiple theories have been advanced regarding the identity of Wallace's killer.](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/biggie-smalls-notorious-big-murder-unsolved-1317847/) In addition to theories implicating LAPD officers, some investigators have suggested the killing was carried out by Southside Crips members as retaliation connected to the ongoing Tupac Shakur case, while others have pointed to personal conflicts within the hip-hop industry.

The LAPD's investigation into Wallace's murder has been marked by controversy, allegations of police misconduct, and multiple lawsuits. The most prominent theory, advanced by former LAPD detective Russell Poole, alleged that the killing was orchestrated by Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight and carried out by an off-duty LAPD officer named David Mack, who was later convicted in an unrelated bank robbery and had ties to the Rampart Division scandal. The LAPD has denied that any of its officers were involved.

In 2002, Wallace's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles, alleging that the LAPD had failed to adequately investigate the murder and that LAPD officers may have been directly involved. The case went through multiple trials and mistrials. In 2005, the lawsuit was voluntarily dismissed after a federal judge found evidence of prosecutorial misconduct — an LAPD detective had withheld evidence from the Wallace family's attorneys. The family refiled the lawsuit in 2007, and [it was settled in 2010 for $1.1 million.](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-apr-08-la-me-biggie8-2010apr08-story.html)

In 2006, the Los Angeles Times reported that LAPD documents confirmed that Detective Poole's investigation had been prematurely shut down by his superiors. Poole died of a heart attack in 2015 while meeting with filmmakers about the case.

The investigation remains officially open. No suspect has ever been charged with Wallace's murder. The passage of time, the deaths of key witnesses and potential suspects, and the complications of the Rampart scandal have made resolution increasingly unlikely.

[Wallace's cultural impact has only grown since his death. He is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential rappers in history. He was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.](https://www.npr.org/2020/05/03/849800001/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-inductees-2020)