As Rap Mogul’s Trial Begins, D.A. Says ‘Puffy’ Fired Pistol

Sean “Puffy” Combs’ gun possession and bribery trial opened in Manhattan on Monday with the prosecution arguing for the first time that the rap mogul had fired a pistol inside Times Square’s packed Club New York during an incident that left three patrons injured.

“Mr. Combs fired a shot” into the club’s ceiling, Assistant Dist. Atty. Matthew Bogdanos said in his opening statement. “Witnesses will say they saw the muzzle flash.”

The 31-year-old Combs is not charged with shooting anyone. He fled the nightclub with actress-singer Jennifer Lopez after the Dec. 27, 1999, incident. Lopez has not been charged, but her name is on a list of potential witnesses.

Defense Criticizes Media Frenzy

Combs’ defense attorney, Benjamin Brafman, countered that his client “did not possess a weapon” that night. Brafman admonished the jury not to be swayed by the media frenzy surrounding the case, which he called the “star-struck, selective prosecution of a superstar. This is about fame and money, not about truth and honesty and the search for justice.”

Rapper Jamal “Shyne” Barrow, 21, is facing attempted-murder charges in the case; he allegedly shot and wounded three bystanders in the club that night after a shoving incident escalated into insults and money being thrown in Combs’ face, Bogdanos said.

Also charged with gun possession and bribery is Combs’ bodyguard, Anthony “Wolf” Jones, 34. Combs--in a dark pinstriped suit and without his usual diamond earring--watched intently Monday as Bogdanos gave jurors the prosecution’s version of events that evening.

According to the district attorney, Combs’ driver--Wardel Fenderson--saw the rapper put a gun into his waistband at his studio earlier that evening. After shots were fired, Bogdanos argued, Combs and his party made a fast retreat to their Lincoln Navigator.

Bogdanos said that Fenderson--who may be called as a witness in the case--then fled the scene, running 11 red lights. Combs and Jones allegedly screamed at Fenderson to open the vehicle’s secret “stash,” or compartment. Before the vehicle was stopped by police, Bogdanos said, a witness saw someone throw a semiautomatic 9-millimeter pistol out of the window where Combs was sitting. A second gun was later found at Jones’ feet in the car.

$50,000 Bribe Allegedly Offered

Fenderson has alleged that Jones and Combs pressured him into claiming the gun in the car was his--with Combs trying to bribe him at the police station by offering $50,000, Bogdanos said.

In introducing his client to the jury, Brafman said: “You can call him Sean. You can call him Mr. Combs. You can call him Puff Daddy. You can just plain call him Puffy. But what you cannot do in this case is call him guilty.” Combs then sat down as his other attorney, Johnnie L. Cochran, patted him on the back.

Brafman told the jury that Fenderson (who has sued Combs over the incident) has changed his story several times, does not remember a window being opened or a gun being thrown out, and is motivated by hopes of financial gain.

Brafman also argued that numerous witnesses saw Combs dancing at the club with his hands over his head and no gun in view.

He attempted to disassociate Combs from any testimony that might involve the other defendants. “This case is not about rap music,” Brafman concluded. “It’s about a bum rap. . . . The only hip-hop you’ll see in this case is Mr. Bogdanos hip-hopping around the inconsistent theories.”

The trial is expected to continue for about five weeks.