Jermaine Fuller, Snoop Dog’s Brother-in-law, Shot Dead by Police
A photo of Jermaine Fuller not long before his death in 2001. Photo: Reddit.
In 2002, Jermaine Fuller, the vocalist of the viral tune "Peanut Butter Jelly Time," was Snoop Dogg's brother-in-law. Jermaine passed away after an intense 11-hour police confrontation, during which Snoop Dogg tried to pacify him and encourage him to end the police standoff.
Who was Jermaine Fuller?
Jermaine Fuller was the brother-in-law of famous rapper Snoop Dog. He was best known for composing and performing the song “Peanut Butter Jelly Time” which was a viral hit in 2001.
“Peanut Butter Jelly Time” by the Buckwheat Boyz: Jermaine Fuller and Marcus Bowens
"Peanut Butter Jelly Time" was created by Buckwheat Boyz, made up of Marcus Bowens and Jermaine Fuller. It became a widely known internet sensation due to a Flash-animated music video featuring a dancing banana that gained widespread recognition online.
The song's notoriety was further amplified as it was featured on numerous TV series, including The Proud Family, Family Guy, and Super Mario Bros. Z, all of which were also Flash-animated.
The Death of Jermaine Fuller
At approximately 11:20 p.m. on Monday 12th August, 2002, an unknown man signaled to a Las Vegas police officer claiming that he had been confronted and shot at by another man, but was not harmed.
The officer proceeded to approach Jermaine Fuller near a bus stop, resulting in a physical altercation in which two gunshots were fired. The officer sustained a graze to the side of his head and was shot in the chest, although his bulletproof vest protected him from serious injury. Another officer in a patrol car was also targeted, but his radio microphone bore the impact and he remained unharmed.
Jermaine Fuller then fled to a nearby apartment complex where he took an unidentified tenant hostage. After an hour, the hostage escaped unscathed through a first-floor window.
The standoff lasted for several hours, during which Jermaine Fuller reached out to local television stations and informed them of his famous relative. While the standoff was still underway, the police verified Fuller's claim about his celebrity brother-in-law and contacted the Snoop Dog.
Snoop recorded a message, urging Fuller to cooperate with law enforcement and stating that legal support was available. The message emphasized that there was still an opportunity to resolve the situation peacefully.
The police SWAT team entered the apartment the following morning, utilizing tear gas and flash-bang grenades, and safely evacuated about 40 residents from the complex. No neighbors or officers were injured during the operation.
Jermaine Fuller was found dead inside of his apartment of an apparent suicide.
More True Crime
