While the New York Post has reported that an associate of Jam Master Jay may well have tipped off his killer of his whereabouts, police in NYC will only say that their investigation continues, and that they have yet to name a suspect. According to the Post the alleged associate tipped the killers off when Jay arrived at his 24/7 studio in Queens. He then waited outside while the perpetrators committed the crime. The man, described only as a “convicted drug dealer”, is believed to be hiding out in Washington. They went on to claim that Jay may have been killed in a dispute over money and that the prime suspect was a man named Curtis Scoon.
On Tuesday, Detective Bernard Porter Jr of the 103rd Precinct told reporters he could not confirm the report about Scoon, and that police still did not have any suspects. "We're always interested in hearing what the streets are talking about who may have been involved," he said. "It's our job to prove or disprove what the streets are saying."
A new reward has been pledged to anyone who supplies evidence that leads to an arrest and conviction. Charles Fisher, founder and chairman of the Hip-Hop Summit Youth Council, has confirmed his organization has received an anonymous donation of $250,000 to be used as reward money. This compensation is independent of the $62,000 that has already been put up by the New York Police Department and a coalition spearheaded by Russell Simmons.
Meanwhile the Youth Council has launched a hip-hop peace summit in New York in memory of Jay. It has established a code of principles for artists to follow and a mediation board to deal with conflicts in moves to clean up the music's image. Key artists and music industry figures will be asked to sign a memo of understanding to indicate they support the project.