A member of Busta Rhymes' security staff was shot and killed early Sunday morning on the set of the rapper's new video. Israel Ramirez, 29, was shot once in the chest by an unidentified assailant outside a warehouse in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn, New York, that was being used as the set for the video.
Rhymes and several other people were inside the studio at approximately 12:30 a.m. Sunday morning when a dozen shots rang out, sending people scattering for cover. Ramirez, the father of three, was the only person hit, according to police. He was taken to Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center and declared dead on arrival.
Among the stars on hand at various times to appear in the video, which was for the remix of Busta's track "Touch It," were Missy Elliott, Mary J. Blige, DMX and boxers Ronald "Winky" Wright and Felix Trinidad.
According to a witness who requested anonymity, the video shoot — where as many as 500 people had gathered, according to police — was already filled with tension due to long-simmering conflicts between some of the rap crews on the set whose members were gathered for cameos. Arguments between some of the rivals had erupted before the shooting took place.
The witness said G-Unit member Tony Yayo was on the set and apparently exchanged insulting words with producer Swizz Beatz and members of the Ruff •••••• camp. "Yayo was talking sh-- to Swizz Beatz, Dee and Waah [Darrin and Joaquin Dean, CEOs of Ruff •••••• Entertainment]," the witness said. "Then Yayo started talking to Busta, saying, 'My bad, I'm not trying to disrespect you. I ain't gonna make it hot.' "
Relations have been tense between the G-Unit and Ruff •••••• artist Jadakiss, as well as Cassidy, who is signed with Beatz's Full Surface label.
The witness said Ramirez was not thought to have been involved with the tensions on the set. He had been hired to handle Rhymes' jewelry for the shoot.
Police impounded a car near the shooting that was hit by gunfire, and recovered a semiautomatic pistol in an empty lot nearby that they suspect had been used in the murder, according to the New York Police Department spokesperson. Police have not announced a suspect or motive in the shooting.
A spokesperson for Interscope Records, Rhymes and Yayo's label, had no comment. Calls to Rhymes' management and attorney for comment were not returned at press time.
— Gil Kaufman, with additional reporting by Rahman Dukes
MTV.com
Rhymes and several other people were inside the studio at approximately 12:30 a.m. Sunday morning when a dozen shots rang out, sending people scattering for cover. Ramirez, the father of three, was the only person hit, according to police. He was taken to Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center and declared dead on arrival.
Among the stars on hand at various times to appear in the video, which was for the remix of Busta's track "Touch It," were Missy Elliott, Mary J. Blige, DMX and boxers Ronald "Winky" Wright and Felix Trinidad.
According to a witness who requested anonymity, the video shoot — where as many as 500 people had gathered, according to police — was already filled with tension due to long-simmering conflicts between some of the rap crews on the set whose members were gathered for cameos. Arguments between some of the rivals had erupted before the shooting took place.
The witness said G-Unit member Tony Yayo was on the set and apparently exchanged insulting words with producer Swizz Beatz and members of the Ruff •••••• camp. "Yayo was talking sh-- to Swizz Beatz, Dee and Waah [Darrin and Joaquin Dean, CEOs of Ruff •••••• Entertainment]," the witness said. "Then Yayo started talking to Busta, saying, 'My bad, I'm not trying to disrespect you. I ain't gonna make it hot.' "
Relations have been tense between the G-Unit and Ruff •••••• artist Jadakiss, as well as Cassidy, who is signed with Beatz's Full Surface label.
The witness said Ramirez was not thought to have been involved with the tensions on the set. He had been hired to handle Rhymes' jewelry for the shoot.
Police impounded a car near the shooting that was hit by gunfire, and recovered a semiautomatic pistol in an empty lot nearby that they suspect had been used in the murder, according to the New York Police Department spokesperson. Police have not announced a suspect or motive in the shooting.
A spokesperson for Interscope Records, Rhymes and Yayo's label, had no comment. Calls to Rhymes' management and attorney for comment were not returned at press time.
— Gil Kaufman, with additional reporting by Rahman Dukes
MTV.com
