US Hip hop star Sean "Puffy" Combs was clearedof criminal charges in a highly publicized case stemming from a 1999 nightclub shooting that left three people wounded.
As the jury forewoman read the verdicts after two-and-a-half days of deliberations, Combs, a Bible in hand, lowered his head and his two defense attorneys grabbed him in a bear hug.
The jury did find Mr Combs' associate Jamaal "Shyne" Barrow, who admitted firing his gun in the nightclub, guilty of assault and reckless endangerment, while Combs' bodyguard Anthony "Wolf" Jones was cleared, like Combs, of bribery and gun possession.
Combs, one of the biggest names in the rap industry, said outside the courthouse he was thankful and filled with emotion after facing charges that could have led to 15 years in prison.
"I just want to thank God for just being there for me and protecting me, and all the people, all my fans, my staff, all the people in New York, everybody who prayed for me all over the world," he said, visibly moved, as his mother smiled broadly.
The Grammy-award winning Combs, whose businesses include Bad Boy Records and the Sean John clothing line
The jury in state Supreme Court in Manhattan found him innocent of charges of bribery and illegal gun possession in the case stemming from the Dec. 27, 1999 shooting in Club New York.
Prosecutors alleged Combs jostled another patron, sparking a dispute that prompted Barrow, 21, to open fire.
Tears rolled down Barrow's cheeks as the jury forewoman announced the guilty verdicts.
Barrow was remanded to jail, and he faces a possible five to 25 years in prison when he is sentenced on April 16.