Weapons & Guns

The Miz had an AWESOME Christmas in the Middle East -- singing carols, shooting semis and SLINGSHOTTING OFF A FRICKIN' AIRCRAFT CARRIER ... and he documented all the action.

That's right ... while the rest of us were getting cozy by the fire, the WWE/MTV superstar was out in the desert supporting the troops on a 4-day USO tour with celebs like Adam Devine and Iliza Shlesinger.

There were plenty of highlights ... but The Miz said nothing could top his "COD TAC line launch" ... where he and Adam were literally boomeranged off the USS Theodore Roosevelt in a military plane.

"I’ve been on all kinds of rollercoasters and nothing beats this. I literally tell (Devine), 'My balls are in my throat.'"

Props to Miz, Adam and Iliza ... and, of course, THE TROOPS!

Happy holidays!!

Rihanna's cousin was shot and killed this week ... just a day after she'd seen him for Christmas in her native home of Barbados.

RiRi posted a tribute Tuesday to her late relative, Tavon Alleyne, saying, "RIP cousin... can't believe it was just last night that I held you in my arms! never thought that would be the last time I felt the warmth in your body!!! Love you always man! #endgunviolence."

Tavon -- who was just 21 years old -- was shot several times by an unidentified man as he was walking near his home in the St. Michael area of the island.

Cops are on the lookout for the shooter, and have asked the public for any info or leads that could lead to his capture.

Authorities responsible for the Rose Parade have the Vegas massacre on their minds -- in fact, front and center -- TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources say the Parade is now a national matter ... authorities from the Pasadena as well as surrounding police departments will be all over the parade route, along with state police and federal agents.

We're told so far there are no credible threats that could put parade-goers in harm's way, but these are different times. There was no real warning with the Vegas shooter and authorities are keenly aware these attacks increasingly materialize without any warning.

And more signs of the times ... there will be barricades preventing terrorists from entering the route and going on a rampage. The area will be shut down 24 hours in advance so it can be fully secured.

There will be a full compliment of cops and equipment ... magnetometers, undercover officers, cops on horseback. The presence of law enforcement will be massive.

Cops want to stress what you've been hearing ... if you see something, say something.

The gun L.A. cops believed was used to murder Tupac Shakur has been located -- TMZ tracked it down, and conspiracy theorists are gonna love this.

TMZ broke the story ... ballistic testing on the .40 caliber Glock found in Compton -- back in 1998 -- showed it matched the one fired in the 1996 Tupac shooting. The mystery was where the the gun went after that testing. Neither LA cops nor Las Vegas cops knew for sure, but we've learned the feds actually had it last ... and it's been destroyed. Now here's why.

ATF agents did the testing in 2006. While it did come up as a possible match for the Tupac weapon, it also possibly matched another unsolved case in Las Vegas ... according to ATF spokesperson Ginger Colbrun. She tells us the ATF then sent the weapon to Vegas.

Multiple law enforcement sources tell us LV Metro PD conducted its own ballistic testing, and here's the big let down -- they determined it was not a match for Pac's case. It did match the other unrelated case, but police had no need for the handgun, so in 2006 they sent it back to the ATF.

The Glock sat in storage until 2013 when the ATF was taking inventory.

Colbrun says as part of standard ops, the agency decides what to do with items after a while. They checked with Las Vegas cops, who signed off on the weapon being destroyed ... and it was, along with a stockpile of other unneeded guns.

It's gone. That's it. Case NOT closed.

A group of violent robbers who were allegedly brutalizing Los Angelinos in a series of cellphone robberies has been busted ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, they were doing surveillance on 2 men -- Ricardo Rivas and Bryan Escobar -- because cops had evidence the pair was hunting for people walking down streets, eyes trained on their cellphones. The men would then allegedly point a rifle at them and commit the robberies. We're told some of the victims were attacked -- struck in the face with the butt of the rifle.

Our sources say the thieves were part of a ring that was stealing new models of smart phones and then sending them to El Salvador, Russia and Turkey for resale, where they could not be traced.

We're told the 2 men -- both in their early 20s -- also allegedly committed at least one carjacking.

Most of the robberies went down in the San Fernando Valley.

Our law enforcement sources say cops decided to move in Wednesday night when they saw the men load their car with a sawed-off shotgun.

We're told 3 men were arrested, but they didn't have the goods on the 3rd so he was released. They are still looking for another man they say was involved in the crime spree.

We're also told the D.A. will file felony robbery and carjacking charges against Rivas and Escobar as early as today.

Faith Evans has low, LOW expectations when it comes to cops solving Tupac or Notorious B.I.G.'s murders -- so she's not shocked cops found, then lost, Pac's murder weapon.

We got the R&B singer at LAX, where we broke the news about the Glock that's apparently vanished in a would-be transfer between cops in L.A. and Las Vegas.

Faith was intrigued when we explained how the weapon was unearthed in Compton -- but couldn't hide her disdain for the investigators when we told her about the gun's disappearance.

The handgun cops say was used to kill Tupac Shakur -- which mysteriously disappeared 11 years ago -- should be in the hands of the L.A. Sheriff's Dept. ... according to the detective who was on the case.

TMZ broke the story -- the .40 caliber Glock was found in a Compton backyard in 1998, and according to docs, LASD Detective Timothy Brennan was the guy who ordered the ballistic testing which revealed it was used in Tupac's murder.

Brennan, who's now retired, tells TMZ ... there should be NO mystery about where the gun is now ... IF everyone followed protocol. As Brennan recalls ... he gave the gun to ATF agents who conducted the testing. Once it came up a match, in a federal law enforcement database, he says ATF sent it to Las Vegas cops.

Now here's the rub. Brennan says law enforcement in Vegas didn't believe it was a match. He says he was never told why they reached that conclusion, but they rejected the weapon. Brennan says what should have happened next is the ATF to send it back to L.A.

As we reported ... the document dug up by producers of A&E's "Who Killed Tupac?" says a federal prosecutor recommended the gun NOT be turned over to Vegas -- but Brennan insists it was.

The gun that killed Tupac Shakur turned up in Compton just ONE day after one of Tupac's biggest street rivals was killed in gang violence.

It sounds like the most bizarre coincidence, but yes ... Orlando Anderson -- a known member of the Southside Crips -- was killed in a gang shootout, in Compton, on May 29, 1998. As TMZ first reported ... the .40 caliber Glock used to shoot and kill Tupac was found May 30.

Now here's what makes this so remarkable. Anderson is the man Tupac and co. famously beat down in the MGM Grand just a few hours before Pac was killed in Las Vegas. One longstanding theory is Anderson and other Crips murdered him in revenge.

Anderson was even named a suspect in Tupac's death, though he was never charged.

As we told you, the Tupac murder weapon was found in a Compton backyard where a Crip's girlfriend lived. According to an LASD document, that gang member was in Las Vegas with Anderson the night Tupac was killed.

Connecting the dots: Tupac beats up Anderson ... Tupac is killed ... Anderson is killed ... Tupac murder weapon pops up in a yard connected to Anderson's friend.

The handgun used to shoot and kill Tupac Shakur turned up in a Compton backyard -- 19 years ago -- but, mysteriously, no one in law enforcement seems to know where it is today.

That bombshell information comes from a police document dug up by producers of the A&E docu-series, "Who Killed Tupac?" According to the document, here's how it unfolded.

A .40 caliber Glock was found by a citizen in his backyard in 1998 ... which he reported to police. Compton PD records show it was booked as found property on May 30, 1998.

In 2000, L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. took over law enforcement of Compton, and 3,800 confiscated firearms -- including that Glock -- were transferred to the LASD.

Fast forward to 2006, when Deputy T. Brennan -- who'd been working the Notorious B.I.G. murder -- was sifting through records. According to the doc, he recognized the address where the gun was found as the home of the girlfriend of a prominent Crip member ... known to have beef with Pac.

The deputy immediately ordered ballistic testing, and bam -- the results were a match for the firearm used to kill Tupac.

You'd think the weapon would be immediately sent to Vegas, where Pac's murder was still unsolved. Instead, a federal prosecutor assigned to the case cited concerns the discovery might alert potential conspirators -- and recommended the gun NOT be turned over to LVPD.

It's not spelled out in the document, but it seems the concern might have been about renewed gang violence if it came out a Crip was tied to Tupac's murder.

Tupac's brother was floored by the information when he met with Benjamin Crump, the civil rights attorney producing the A&E series.

A&E says it contacted LVPD, and some officers said the gun definitely never got to them, while others said they were unsure. Bottom line ... if anyone knows where it is now, they're not copping to it.

The final episode of "Who Killed Tupac?" airs Tuesday night.

8:43 AM PT -- We're told a second suspect was also charged in connection to Chinx's murder -- 26-year-old Jamar Hill, who's facing the same charges as Homere. Both he and Homere were serving time in jail on unrelated charges when they were arrested in connection to the murder.

One of the French Montana's Coke Boys, Chinx Drugz, might finally see some justice after being shot and killed 2 years ago ... 'cause cops just made an arrest.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... 32-year-old Quincy Homere was arrested Thursday in NYC and has been charged with murder, assault and criminal possession of a weapon in connection to the 2015 drive-by shooting that left Chinx dead.

FOX5 reporter Lisa Evers got exclusive video of Homere covering his face as cops perp walked him into the station. No word yet on motive or how police linked him to the case.

As we reported ... Chinx was gunned down in the Spring of 2015 in Queens, NY, having taken multiple bullets to the torso. Another victim in the car had been left badly injured.

Chinx was 31.

The New York City bomber allegedly went on Facebook just before setting off a homemade device and told President Trump he'd failed to protect the U.S.A.

According to the federal criminal complaint filed Tuesday against Akayed Ullah, the bomber took to the social media site with his message to the Prez while on the way to the Port Authority subway before the explosion.

Per the docs, obtained by TMZ, Ullah allegedly wrote ... "Trump you failed to protect your nation" ... which prosecutors say he posted Monday morning before the incident. They go on to say the message was written with ISIS in mind.

During a presser about the attack, US Attorney Joon Kim also revealed a search of Ullah's apartment uncovered a handwritten note that read, "Oh America Die In Your Rage."

As we reported ... Ullah was captured alive after detonating what many called a pipe bomb strapped to his person. Three other people were injured, leaving one temporarily deaf.

DJ Mustard showed up at LAX Friday night with a friend who got arrested for packing a loaded gun in his carry-on, but DJ Mustard says it was all news to him.

TMZ broke the story ... Mustard and his pal were both detained after TSA found a loaded .22 handgun in one of their bags. They were questioned as cops reviewed surveillance footage and determined it was Mustard's friend who put the back on the conveyor belt. The friend was arrested and taken to jail.

DJ Mustard was detained by cops after a TSA employee found a gun in a bag that went through the x-ray machine at LAX ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

We're told the famed music producer and a friend were about to board a plane when the TSA employee detected the gun in a carry-on bag. Law enforcement tells us DJ Mustard and his friend started walking away without the bag when they were nabbed by LAX police.

The weapon in the bag was a loaded, .22 semi-automatic handgun.

The 2 were separated and individually questioned.

Just as we were ready to post this story, cops released DJ Mustard and arrested his friend.

We told cops figured out the friend was carrying the gun by looking at airport surveillance video.

John Conyers' son -- the one he wants to replace him in Congress -- was arrested this year for felony domestic violence ... TMZ has learned.

John Conyers III got in a fight with his girlfriend on February 15, 2017. Law enforcement sources tell us he accused her of cheating after going through her computer at around 2 AM. The argument allegedly escalated into physical violence ... she told cops John body slammed her on her bed and on the floor, pinned her down and spit on her. She says she tried calling the cops, but he took her phone.

The woman claims he then chased her into her kitchen where she grabbed a 10-inch knife to protect herself, ordering him to leave the house.

She says he grabbed the knife and then swung at her twice, stabbing her, cutting her right bicep which required 3 stitches. She says he then chased her back into the bedroom, pinned her against the bed and slapped her.

They both called 911 and when cops came John claimed she pulled a knife on him and, when he grabbed it to protect himself, he accidentally stabbed her.

Cops looked at the woman's injuries and then arrested John for felony domestic violence. The woman was taken to the hospital.

The L.A. County D.A. declined to prosecute John ... partly because there were no witnesses and partly because prosecutors couldn't prove beyond a reasonable doubt the stabbing wasn't an accident.

One of the stars on History Channel's "Swamp People" is a wanted man after missing day 1 of his criminal trial ... TMZ has learned.

Chase Landry was supposed to be in a Louisiana court Monday for the start of his trial for opening fire on a boat on the bayou -- but he never showed, and the judge issued a warrant for his arrest.

We broke the story ... Chase was arrested last year after he shot at the boat while gator hunting. He insists he thought it was gonna crash into him, and that's why he fired. Chase's attorney was in court, and we've reached out to him to see if he knows why his client no-showed.

Our guess? He's out hunting something.

A man named Billy Turner has been arrested and charged for the murder of Lorenzen Wright ... over 7 years after the NBA vet was shot and killed in a Memphis suburb ... and we have the mug shot.

The Memphis Police Department and Shelby County District Attorney's office held a press conference on Tuesday to announce that Turner, 46, had been indicted and charged with the 1st-degree murder of Wright.

Turner is currently in custody on a $1 million bond.

Lorenzen's remains were found in a wooded area on July 28, 2010 ... 10 days after the 34-year-old was last seen leaving his ex-wife's residence in Collierville, Tennessee.

The case went cold for years ... but there was a major break last month when cops discovered the gun they believed was used to kill Wright ... in a lake about 50 miles from Wright's body.

Lorenzen was a star at the University of Memphis, and played 14 seasons in the NBA -- including 5 with his hometown Memphis Grizzlies.