One More Fallen'
Jordan S Wilson

 


One More Fallen’
I guess it started about seven years ago. I was on the set of a movie shoot, doing my job as a bodyguard for Snoop Dogg, who was a well-known rap artist and a semi movie star/actor. I was a bodyguard for a music producing record company called Death Row Records. The movie stared many of Death Rows rap artist, so I was in charge of keeping them safe and I was the main security. A controversy erupted on the set and resulted in a shoot out. I took everyone to safety and helped many people away from the scene, out of danger, and out of the way of cross fire.

The next day I was at the recording studio kicking back and drinking Henesey Coniac, I was called into Shuge Knight office, the founder and owner of Death Row Records. He said to me, “hey Frank, what went down last night on the shoot?” I explained to him what I did and how I acted upon the shooting. He than said to me “well, words been running around that you’re a big hero and you saved a grip load of people.” I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a hero, but I did what was needed. He thanked me and that was that.

Now how Tupac came into the picture ties together with my actions. Pac and I have been homies ever since he came to Death Row. I had heard rumors that I was going to be working with Pac more as of this point, but I didn’t exactly know when, or what I was going to be doing. I found out later that I was going to be Tupac Shakures main security bodyguard. I found Pac and told him the good news. “Pac what’s up homie. Hey I’m going to be your new main bodyguard now.” “Yeah Big Frank I know. I put the word in for you and said I wanted you with me because I trust you dawg. From now on its me and you Big Frank.” From then on it was Pac and I. Where he was, I was, where he ate, I ate. We were best friends and connected by soul. Lots of good times with Pac is what I remember the most with my homie. It was like yesterday to me it seems. It was September 6, 1996 and I just arrived at the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas for the Tyson fight. I had just came back from a two week vacation so I haven’t seen Pac for two weeks. His back up bodyguard, Kevin’ has been his security while I was gone. That day I met up with some of the crew and we just gambled and enjoyed ourselves, we were having a good time in Vegas.
The next day was September 7, it was time to work. I had a security meeting to go to at noon with the Wright Way Security program. My good friend Reggie Wright owned it. At the meeting I found out that Kevin had my radio and he had left town already without turning it in. Without my radio, it was a pain to communicate with the other guards because I always had to be on a pay phone to call. I was told that Pac was already here in Vegas and to go find him on the casino floor at the Luxor. I walked around the floor of the casino trying to find Pac. I noticed a large loud crowd at a craps table. I walked up to the table and sure enough, there was Pac rolling big and winning big, I mean BIG. He turned to me and yelled, “BIG Frank.” He was happy to see me. We hit it off like I hadn’t even lift in the first place. He wanted to go to the MGM Grand because he wasn’t “feelin” that Casino any. We hitched a cab over to the MGM. He found a hot table and sat down. The crowds started to fallow and the women were all over him, that’s just what happened when Pac was in the room. He told me to go call Shuge so we could meet up for the fight because it was getting near the time to get ready. I told Pac not to leave and I’ll be right back. I went to a phone, but I couldn’t get a hold of Shuge . I started heading back to the craps table, but when I got there the crowds were gone, as well as Pac. I roamed around the floor trying to see if he maybe moved tables, but he was no ware. At this point I was sweating bullets. I thought that it was unusual that he was gone because he never ever leaves me. After looking for an hour in the casino, I ran into one of our friends and I asked him if he had seen Pac leave and he said that Pac had left the casino with some people. This was just one of the unusual events that were to take place later that night. I went back to the Luxor to see if he had headed back to the hotel and sure enough, he was there. I met back up with him and we went up to our room to get ready for the fight. After we got ready we headed down stairs and left the hotel. We headed to the MGM Grand where the fight was being held.
When we arrived the crowds were going crazy. I had the MGM security escort us to the back V.I.P. room where we were to meet Shuge. We hung around waiting for Shuge and it seemed that Shuge was not going to showing up. At this time Tupac was getting nervous and he was pissed. Pac was so pissed off that had mentioned “ I knew I shouldn’t have come to Vegas. This is bull shit, I don’t even want to be here.” Moments later Shuge and two of his buddies walk in. One was Travone and I didn’t know the other one. We all went to our seats and watched the ridiculously short fight. After the fight we went to the back V.I.P. again to wait for Tyson to come out because Pac and Shuge wanted to see their homie and congratulate him on his win. The next thing I now Shuge it saying “lets go” because he didn’t want to wait around for Mike anymore. We walked into the lobby and met up with all the Outlaws, which were Pac’s crew, and all of Shuges friends. All of a sudden Travone came up and whispered something in Pacs ear. Pac then takes off running around the corner. I fallowed right behind. Pac runs up to this guy in a blue New York hat and starts throwing punches. While he was fighting, his necklace broke. I picked it up, grabbed him, and held him back. I told every body to fallow me because the hotel were going to call the cops. Since I had been all over the casino earlier looking for Tupac, I knew where all the exits were. Everyone fallowed us to the parking lot and we caravanned in cars to Shuges house. He only live a couple of exits off the freeway so it wasn’t real far. We got to Shuges place and we went inside to see what we were going to do. We decided that we were going to head over to Shuges night club called Club 662. Pac had said to me that he was going to ride with Shuge and that I should drive the Outlaws because they were all going to be drinking. Shuges body guard, Reggie, wasn’t with Shuge in the car, which was weird because Reggie is always with Shuge and I’m always with Pac. I didn’t think anything of it so we all started heading over to the club. Tons of groupies fallowed the caravan of cars. In about fifteen minutes we got back on the strip of Vegas. We were in front of the Excalibur Hotel when two bike cops came up to Shuges window. I thought we were busted for the fight earlier that nigh, but I guess they just asked him to turn the music down a little. What I didn’t know was that we would be seeing those cops a little later on. We proceeded down the strip and made a right turn on Flamingo. The next light was Colvole. We pulled up to the light. Shuge’s in front of me and Shuges friend was in front of him. Another one of Shuge’s friends was on the left of Shuge. The right lane next to us was clear.a white Cadillac crept up to the right of us and stopped next to Shuges car. I didn’t thing anything was occward out the situation, but then all of a suuden… “POP, POP, POP, POP.” Shots rang into Pacs side of the car. We all were freaking out. The Cadillac took a right at the light and sped off. Before we could get out of the car Shuge’s car made a fast U-turn and headed back towards the strip, we all followed. Thinking he is going to the hospital,he takes a left on Harmon and suddenly the car breaks down. We get out of our car and Shuge gets out of his car. I ran up to Pac. He was pretty much mangled all together. With tears in my eyes I tried to keep him alive. “Pac, Pac,” I cried.
“I can’t breath, help me Frank, I can’t breath.” He quivered. Those were the last word I heard come out of his mouth. The paramedics and authorities arrived. They held all of us back from the scene and wouldn’t let us see him. They loaded him up and took him to Las Vegas Providence Hospital. We couldn’t see him so I came back the next day. I had heard that the Shakure family was really mad at me and said I should have protected him. I had a huge guilt feeling and thought I had let him die. That day when I was sitting outside Pac’s room, Afeina, his mom, came up to me and sat down. I didn’t know what to say to her. She put her hand on my back and explained to me that it wasn’t my fault. The doctors came to us and informed us that they don’t know for sure if he can hang on. I had to leave so his family could visit with him. A couple days later I received a phone call from Reggie saying that I needed to go to Shuges house for a meeting and that Shuge was pissed at me. I was scared to go, but I had to. I went to our hang out area by the pool in the back yard. They were talking about the events that took place on the fight night. Shuge was hot and was blaming everyone for everything wrong. He didn’t know what to do with himself. Then the phone rang. Shuge went in to get it. We all had a bad feeling about the call. I remember sitting there in a chair thinking the worst possible scenario. The time was 3:34 p.m. two minuets later Shuge came storming out in a wreck. “Oh my GOD… he’s gone. Pac just F**king died.” He shouted in anger. A huge hole was drilled through my hearty at that point. We all bursted into tears. He had died September 13, 1996. R.I.P. Tupac Shakure.


 

 

Copyright © 2002 Jordan S Wilson
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