Sean “Diddy” Combs’ former bodyguard has made a sensational claim about an unusual ritual allegedly performed by the music mogul just hours before his acquittal in a 1999 nightclub shooting case. This was the same case in which budding rapper Shyne, now known as Moses Barrow, was held accountable and sentenced to prison time. Gene Deal, speaking in the Hulu documentary The Honorable Shyne, recounted witnessing Diddy ‘sacrificing a bird’ on his way to court for the final trial.

The Honorable Shyne

The infamous 1999 nightclub shooting, involving disgraced music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs and his then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez, remains a dark chapter in hip-hop history. While Combs and Lopez walked away without hurting their reputation, the spotlight fell on Shyne, a 19-year-old rising rap star under Combs’ Bad Boy Records. Despite maintaining his innocence, Shyne was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2001 for “assault, reckless endangerment, and illegal weapon possession.”

Now Shyne’s journey—from a promising artist to his fall from grace and eventual comeback—will be documented in The Honorable Shyne, a new documentary by Disney-ESPN’s Andscape. The show is scheduled to premier on Hulu on Nov. 18. The film promises to disclose what really happened that fateful night.

Diddy's 'bird sacrifice’ before shooting verdict

Gene Deal, Sean "Diddy" Combs' former bodyguard, shared a startling account of events leading up to the rapper's 1999 trial verdict. Deal recalled seeing Combs make an unexpected stop at Central Park on his way to court. There, according to Deal, Combs dropped to his knees in front of another man surrounded by smoke. The man, holding a Bible, reportedly prayed while laying his hands on Combs before instructing him to release a white bird from a cage. Deal described how the bird, once released into the air, fell to the ground lifeless.

Hours later, Combs was acquitted of all charges in the nightclub shooting case, while the blame ultimately fell on Shyne, who was sentenced to prison.

In an interview earlier with Channel 5 news, Shyne who is now a politician in his hometown said, “When I was an 18-year-old kid, just wanting to do nothing other than make my mother proud and make Belize proud and, do what all of us want to do, be recognized for our talent and take over the world, I was defending him, and he turned around and called witnesses to testify against me.”

Calling Combs as “someone who destroyed my life,” he added, “He pretty much sent me to prison. That is the context by which you must always describe that relationship. Yes, I forgave. I moved on. But let us not pretend as if I was in Miami for Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

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