Eyewitness identifies suspected Jam Master Jay killer and recalls final moments of Run-DMC star

An eyewitness who was at the scene of Jam Master Jay’s fatal shooting has identified a suspect and recalled the Run-DMC star’s last moments.

Jam Master Jay – real name Jason Mizell – was shot in the head and killed at his New York recording studio in 2002.

The murder trial began Monday (January 30), with the court hearing that the Run-DMC legend’s killing was motivated by greed and revenge related to a drug deal row.

Uriel ‘Tony’ Rincon was in the studio when Jam Master Jay was killed, and was also wounded in the gunfire.

On Wednesday (January 31), Rincon pointed to Karl Jordan Jr – gesturing to who he believed to be the killer – 15 years after not being able to recognise him, according to Sky News.

Rincon also recalled the moment of Jam Master Jay’s death, alleging that Jordan “kind of walked directly to Jay and gave, like, half a handshake, with an arm.

“And at the same time, that’s when I hear a couple of shots,” he told the jurors.

In 2020, Jordan, who was Mizell’s godson, and the star’s childhood friend Ronald Washington were charged with murder. They have pleaded not guilty. If convicted, they could face at least 20 years behind bars.

It’s alleged that Mizell was involved in cocaine deals, one of which involved Jordan and Washington. The pair were allegedly told they would be part of a deal worth nearly $200,000 (£157,000), but were said to have been cut out.

Prosecutors claimed Jordan and Washington planned to murder Mizell after being “left with nothing”.

Rincon said he was looking at his phone when gunfire started. “And then I see Jay just fall,” he said. Rincon added that he was shot in his leg: “I’m trying to tend to my wound, and at the same time, I’m trying to give Jay attention – asking him is he OK? Can he talk? And he is just not responding.”

He alleged that, during the shooting, there was another witness who was told to get down on the ground and stay there.

Jordan’s lawyer, John Diaz, said his client wasn’t even at the studio on the night of the shooting. The defence called the murder claims “one version of many” and said prosecutors had “no clue who did it”.

This week, a judge ruled that lyrics written by the accused cannot be used in the murder trial.