Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Editor's Picks
Editor's PicksEntertainmentMusic

LAPD Apologizes for Premature Release of Notorious B.I.G. Autopsy Report

Posted byBy Kevin Webb | Published on: CommentsComments (1)

The Los Angeles Police Department issued a public apology for the early release of the Notorious B.I.G’s autopsy report last week, which reached the public before the rapper’s family was notified. LAPD officials say that though the report’s release was intended to spark new interest in the case, it was prematurely released before Biggie’s family could be notified. The mistake was yet another police mishap in the 15-year-old murder case of Christopher Wallace.

“Robbery-Homicide Division detectives had intended to notify Mr. Wallace’s family prior to releasing the report,” a statement from the LAPD read.

“Our detectives personally spoke with the Wallace family [Friday] night, and apologized for not notifying them prior to the release” Capt. Billy Hayes, who leads the division, said according to the Los Angeles Times. “Obviously this has been a challenging case for us to solve.  We hope that witnesses or other people with information will come forward and give us the clues we need to solve this case.”

Though the release of an autopsy report is not standard practice, the LAPD decided to use it as “an investigative tool” to compel new information or clues about the case. The 23-page report detailed all the injuries suffered by the Notorious B.I.G. on the night of the March 1997 shooting. The rapper’s family has been skeptical with the department’s handling of the case through the years, and has asked for the department to release more of the investigation’s findings.

“What legitimate lead could be stimulated by releasing an autopsy that says ‘Mr. Wallace was shot,’  when everyone knows that?” Perry Sanders Jr, the lawyer representing Biggie’s family said to the LA Times. “Why don’t they release some of the clues they have?”

“I’ve been advised by the homicide detective that was in charge of the investigation and is no longer with the department that the crime has been solved for several years now,” Sanders told The Associated Press on Friday. “This was confirmed by at least one other person who is currently on the force, and it is ridiculous that an arrest has not been made for a crime that’s allegedly been solved for several years.”

Still independent.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top