New Report Claims Alpo Martinez Was Killed During Road Rage Incident, Not Betrayal
One-time Harlem drug kingpin Alpo Martinez was killed in a road rage dispute rather than his involvement in the drug racket. according to published reports,
The NYPD arrested 27-year-old Shakeem Parker earlier this week for killing Martinez. He faces murder and weapons charges in connection with the killing last October.
During the early morning hours of Halloween, the NYPD was called to the scene in Harlem. A dark, red pickup truck had reportedly crashed into parked cars. Martinez, the driver, had been shot five times in the chest through the vehicle’s window. He subsequently drove the truck around four before crashing.
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Martinez was later transported to NYC Health + Hospitals Harlem before he succumbed to his wounds.
Martinez’s life was the inspiration for the 2002 classic film Paid in Full. The movie featured rapper Cam’ron as Martinez and Mekhi Phifer, who portrayed Martinez’s business partner Rich Porter.
Martinez was at the top of a cocaine trafficking empire that stretched from New York to Washington, D.C., according to The New York Times. When the criminal justice system caught up to him, Martinez confessed to 14 murders but became a government witness who testified against his underlings. One of the murder victims was his longtime friend Porter.
Authorities released Martinez from prison in 2015 while serving a 35-year sentence. Martinez, who was in a government witness protection program, was last known to live in Maine, according to The New York Post.
