November 2, 2002 9:11

POLICE HOPE FOR PUBLIC HELP IN RUN-DMC KILLING

Detective Bernard Porter hopes "the person who has the information will do the right thing and come forward "...

RUN-DMC member DJ JAM MASTER JAY’s family are planning a public memorial service, while police have said they are "confident" they will solve the murder with the help of the public.

The star, real name Jason Mizell, was one of two men attacked in the incident inside the studio in Queens, New York (October 30). He was shot in the head and died at the scene. The second man, Urieco Rincon, was shot in the leg and taken to a local hospital. As yet, no arrests have been made.

Detective Bernard Porter said he expects a breakthrough in the case to come from the public. He told American reporters:
"I am confident that being the person who (Jay) was and the legacy he left, that the person who has the information will do the right thing and come forward and help us out.

"If (Jay) was just a street guy who was in the mix and at the wrong place at the wrong time, it would take longer to solve. We are expecting help from the community. That phone call might come five minutes from now, it might come tomorrow, it might come a few days from now. One thing I feel good about is that it's gonna come because of who Jay was. He was loved and respected. People might come forward with information, they might not be doing it for any personal gain, they'll be doing it for him."

Porter also played down fears that the shooting may mark the beginning of a rap war, sparking more shootings. He concluded: "It's unfortunate and it's got to be hurtful to his friends in the hip-hop community that (some say) it 's a rap war, condemning him and his profession. We're not doing that."

MTV news reports that his family will hold a wake on Monday at the Jay Foster-Phillips Funeral Home, 179-24 Linden Blvd. The funeral will follow on Tuesday at 10 am at the Allen A.M.E Cathedral, 110-31 Merrick Blvd.

Hailing from New York, Run DMC are noted as one of the original and most important rap groups in the world.

Moving rap into the mainstream, their first three albums, released throughout the mid-80s, 'Run-DMC', 'King Of Rock' and 'Raising Hell' are considered modern-day classics.

In 1986, their cover of Aerosmith's 'Walk This Way', which featured Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, was one of the first singles to successfully combine rap and rock, scoring them a Top Ten hit in the UK

Although their popularity waned in recent years, a new version of 'It's Like That', released as Run-DMC Vs Jason Nevins, became a world-wide smash in 1998, topping the UK singles chart, their only Number One in this country.

NME.COM has set up a board where you can pay tribute to Jay. Simply click here and share your thoughts and memories with us.