Former LAPD detective Russell Poole, who investigated the 1997 murder of rapper Notorious B.I.G., died today (August 20), of an apparent heart attack. Poole, who was a decorated member of law enforcement, famously quit his role for the LAPD after he alleged that the murder of Biggie Smalls was connected to the 1996 shooting of Tupac Shakur. In his statements to the media, he claimed to have uncovered a conspiracy between Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight, and disgraced LAPD officer David Mack, alleging that the pair may have orchestrated the murder.
Poole was included in several documentaries and articles pertaining to the case, and eventually quit his role as detective when his claims were disregarded by his superiors on the force.
Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies at the Homicide Bureau reported that Russell Poole collapsed Wednesday morning, according to a sheriff’s department official. He was meeting with detectives about a cold case when he collapsed and was unresponsive. He was rushed to a local hospital, where he died, the coroner’s office said.
The New York rapper’s death spawned countless conspiracy theories, among them that it was somehow connected to the Las Vegas slaying of rapper Tupac Shakur six months earlier because they and their respective record companies were seen as rivals.
Poole advanced the theory that Wallace’s death came from a plot involving a corrupt LAPD detective and Marion “Suge” Knight, who headed Shakur’s company when Shakur was killed. Wallace’s killing was retaliation, Poole suggested.
Rocko Rathon (@Rocko_CNK)
