The NYPD now believe that Shamel “Money Mel” McKinney, the 25 year-old associate of Fabolous who was stabbed to death at the Duvet nightclub on November 23, was killed after he tried to rob a man of his jewelry. According to the New York Post, unidentified law enforcement sources claim that McKinney was acting on behalf of Fab’s Street Family crew, whom authorities have long suspected of targeting celebrities with expensive jewelry in the New York area. “These guys have no money,” the law-enforcement source told the Post about the crew. “They go to New York to get paid, because that’s where the money is.” Initial witness accounts suggested that McKinney, an aspiring rapper who went by the name “Money Mel,” was stabbed while trying to break up a fight between two women. Investigators now believe that the man who McKinney was trying to rob knifed stabbed him and tossed a 7-inch switchblade into a nearby dumpster.

Fab’s lawyer has denied that the rapper was ever at Duvet that night, but promoter Andre Faria says he definitely saw the rapper at the club that night. When questioned about the new allegations, the rapper’s attorney, Alberto Ebanks, said he was unaware of any such claims. The paper also reports that the FBI once considered a probe into the Street Family crew, but backed out after deciding that the crimes were not organized enough to warrant federal prosecution. Cops also believe that Fab was shot near Sean “Diddy” Combs’ now shuttered Justin’s Restaurant last October after his associates robbed Boston Celtics guard Sebastian Telfair of his $50,000 necklace.