Rapper Fabolous Shot, Then Arrested In Early Morn Conflict

Rapper Fabolous was shot early this morning (Oct. 17) as he left Justin's, a popular New York eatery owned by Sean "Diddy" Combs. A man with a gun approached the Brooklyn-bred rapper, whose real name is John Jackson, and shot him once in the thigh as he departed restaurant. After he was wounded, the rapper and four others tried to rush to the hospital but were stopped by the police, who allegedly found a pair of firearms in the vehicle. All of the men were arrested, according to published reports. At press time, he was in stable condition at a New York hospital. Police have yet to release a motive for the shooting against Fabolous. The rapper recently taped a segment on VH1 Hip-Hop Honors, a program that airs tonight on the network. The rapper's Def Jam album, tentatively titled From the Bottom to the Top, has been pushed back until February 2007.