The first shots in a nightclub melee involving Sean "Puffy" Combs were not fired by Combs' co-defendant and protege, Jamal "Shyne" Barrow, a witness testified Monday, reports the Associated Press. The witness, Tabon Terrence Jones, a 34-year-old photographer from Philadelphia, said the gunman "had braids in his hair and they were wrapped tightly all around." Barrow, 21, who has closely cropped hair, is charged with three counts of attempted murder for allegedly shooting three people inside Club New York on Dec. 27, 1999. Jones was walking to a bar in the center of the club when, he testified, "I heard some loud, angry noises going on and I turned and looked. A man put his arm in the air and shot a pistol." Jones said he hit the floor along with many other patrons and said he heard another few shots, but couldn't tell if they were from the same gun. Jones also testified that before the shooting, he had seen the gunman talking to two other men in the restroom. Jones is the first witness to definitively state that Barrow did not fire the first shot. Other witnesses have said they did not see the gunman; one witness last week testified that he saw Barrow and another man holding weapons. More witnesses for the defense will be called on Tuesday. Combs, 31, and his bodyguard Anthony "Wolf" Jones, 34, are charged with weapons possession and bribery. If convicted, Combs faces 15 years in prison. Their defenses rested last week.

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