Third Witness Says Combs Had Gun

February 8, 2001 -- A second shooting victim, and third witness overall, testified that he saw both Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs and Jamal "Shyne" Barrow holding guns just before shots were fired in a December 1999 brawl at a New York nightclub.

Combs, a top record producer and rap star whose empire includes Bad Boy Records and the Sean John clothing line, is accused of illegal gun possession and bribery stemming from the incident in which three people were shot. He denies the charges but faces 15 years in prison if convicted. Barrow, his 22-year-old rap protégé, is facing attempted murder, assault, and weapons charges.

Julius Jones, 28, was the third witness to the Dec. 27, 1999, fracas at Club New York in Times Square to testify about having seen Combs holding a gun.

"I was looking at Sean Combs," Jones said. "He had the gun," which he described as a black automatic, "in his right hand. I could see him from the waist up.

"I couldn't believe it," he said, adding that when he turned to his left he saw Barrow with a gun.

"I saw shots come out of his gun. I saw fire. I dropped to the ground. The crowd around me went crazy," Jones said. "I was shot. I couldn't move. I saw my shooter, Mr. Barrow, and another man with the gun, Sean Combs."

Jones also testified that just before the shooting he heard screaming and cursing from a group of men standing at the bar next to Combs and saw one of the men begin to throw money at Combs.

On cross-examination by Combs' lawyer Johnnie Cochran, Jones said he heard one of the men in the group tell the rapper, "I'll kill you" several times, suggesting a possible self-defense motive for the rap star taking out a gun.

Jones was shot in the right shoulder and said the bullet lodged in his back.

"I thought I was going to be paralyzed," he said. "The bullet has not been removed because it's too close to my spine.

"I don't got no feeling in any fingers from the back to my elbow. It's numb," he added.

Jones is suing Combs, Barrow, and Combs' bodyguard, Anthony "Wolf" Jones, as well as the rap star's Bad Boy Records, for $700 million. He said he filed the civil lawsuit "because I saw my shooter and I want somebody responsible for me getting hurt."

"As you sit here today, are you sure that you saw Mr. Combs with a gun?" prosecutor Matthew Bogdanos asked.

"I'm sure he had a gun," Jones replied. He also testified that he was sure that Barrow fired a gun.

After the shooting Combs and his girlfriend, actress-singer Jennifer Lopez, drove off in his sport utility vehicle, which was stopped by police. Authorities said they found a loaded gun inside the vehicle.

At the police station, Combs allegedly offered his driver, Wardel Fenderson, $50,000 to say the gun was his. He allegedly offered as collateral a $40,000 ring he was wearing that had been given to him by Lopez.

On Monday, a woman shot in the face during the altercation said she saw Combs holding a pistol. On Friday, another woman testified that she saw Combs holding a gun as he ran from the nightclub.

Reuters contributed to this report.