At this point in her life, Jennifer Lopez probably shouldn’t be thinking about an old bad boyfriend like Sean “Diddy” Combs. The mega-star is said to be happily married to fourth husband Ben Affleck, continues to make movies and is set to embark on a national concert tour for her album, “This is Me … Now.”
But last week’s Homeland Security raids on Combs’ homes in Los Angeles and Miami, plus multiple lawsuits alleging sexual abuse and sex trafficking, have renewed interest in other past allegations against Lopez’s long-ago ex-boyfriend, according to Forbes and other outlets. That includes a woman’s renewed assertion that it was the rapper and music mogul who shot her in the face on the night in December 1999 when he and Lopez partied at a New York City nightclub and a gunfight broke out.
LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Singer/actress Jennifer Lopez (L) poses with her boyfriend Sean “Puffy” Combs (R) for photographers at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles 23 February, 2000. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) AFP PHOTO VINCE BUCCI (Photo credit should read Vince Bucci/AFP via Getty Images)
During Lopez’s volatile, on-off relationship with Combs from 1999 to 2001, they were one of the most famous couples in the world, making waves at the 2000 Grammys and other events, according to Us Weekly. But they also became the focus of unwelcome headlines and an NYPD investigation when they were arrested while fleeing the nightclub after the shooting, which left three people injured.
Over the years, Lopez has stayed pretty tight-lipped about her relationship with the Bad Boy Records founder and that harrowing night in December 1999. However, she confirmed in 2022 that Combs was unfaithful and told British Elle in 2000 that the shooting was “a complete nightmare,” saying, “I was scared to death in the car. I had absolutely no idea what was going on. No one did,” Forbes reported.
But Lopez may have to relive that “nightmare” again if the shooting case is reopened. Over the past week, news and entertainment sites also have reminded the public about Lopez’s relationship with Combs and her presence at the nightclub during the shooting.
One of the victims has spoken out and called for the case to be reopened, as NewsNation’s “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” revealed last week. The outlet interviewed Natania Reuben, who always maintained that it was Combs who shot her in the face. She’s also said she would be willing to undergo surgery to have part of a bullet removed that’s still in her face, if necessary to reopen the case.
“I literally watched them pull out the guns,” Reuben said during the interview. “I had a clear point of view. I mean, for God’s sake, I got shot in my nose. I was facing them directly. I watched everything occur and have described it, vehemently to all parties involved. I have nine bullet fragments remaining in my face.”
“Who better to tell you what happened than the person who got shot smack dab in between my eyes,” Reuben also said.
According to the broad outlines of what’s publicly known about the gunfight is that it started when Combs bumped into a man named Matthew “Scar” Allen while leaving the nightclub. A drink was knocked from Allen’s hand, and he responded by pushing back, leading to gunfire and Reuben and two others being injured
Lopez and Combs and others in their entourage fled the club in a Lincoln Navigator, whose driver led police on a chase through Manhattan, reports said. The chase ended with officers finding a stolen gun inside the vehicle and arresting Lopez, Combs and his bodyguard, Anthony “Wolf” Jones, on suspicion of criminal possession of a weapon.
Lopez and Combs spent more than 12 hours in police custody, with Lopez reportedly being handcuffed to a pole at one point, the New York Post reported. Prosecutors ultimately dropped charges against Lopez, but charged Combs and Jones with two counts of criminal possession of an unregistered gun and attempted bribery for allegedly trying to get the driver of the car to say that the weapon was his.
After a weeks-long trial, Combs and Jones were acquitted. But the case had what some observers said was its fall guy, according to the New York Post: 21-year-old rapper Jamal “Shyne” Barrow, who was a Combs protege and who had been at the nightclub. He was convicted of two counts of assault, as well as reckless endangerment and gun possession, and served nearly nine years in prison, Forbes said. However, no one was ever charged and found guilty for the shooting itself.
Lopez also may face renewed scrutiny about the gunfight due to the lawsuit filed against Combs and actor Cuba Gooding Jr. by producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones Jr. Jones is among several people who have filed lawsuits against Combs, alleging sexual and physical abuse. Last week, Jones amended his lawsuit on the same day that Combs’ home was raided by federal agents. He said that Combs “displayed his guns and bragged about getting away with shooting people,” USA Today reported.
According to Jones’ lawsuit, he said that Combs “shared that he was responsible for the shooting in the nightclub in New York City with rapper Shyne,” USA Today reported. Jones also alleged that Lopez “carried the firearm into the club for him and passed him the gun after he got into an altercation with another individual.”
USA Today also noted that Cassie Ventura, Combs’ ex-girlfriend, alleged in her own civil lawsuit — which accused the rapper of rape, sex trafficking and physical abuse — that he made her hold his firearms. The day after Ventura filed her lawsuit, she and Combs and Venture settled for an undisclosed sum.
Combs has denied all allegations against him in the lawsuits, with his attorneys characterizing some of the legal actions as money grabs, “baseless” or “sickening,” Forbes reported.
Combs also has not been criminally charged in connection with the federal raids. His attorney Aaron Dyer insisted on the rapper’s innocence and criticized the federal invasion for its “gross overuse of military-level force.”
“This unprecedented ambush – paired with an advanced, coordinated media presence – leads to a premature rush to judgment of Mr. Combs and is nothing more than a witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits,” Dyer said in a statement to USA Today.
