Trial Spotlight Moves to Shyne

March 2 -- NEW YORK — A day after Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs became the star witness in his own trial, the focus shifted today to the most serious charges in the case, as lawyers for rapper Jamal "Shyne" Barrow began his defense against three counts of attempted murder.

Combs' defense rested Thursday after the rap star took the stand in state Supreme Court in Manhattan, saying there is "absolutely" no truth to the weapons and bribery charges he faces. He insisted that "I was just trying to get away from danger" when shots he thought were meant for him rang out in a Times Square-area nightclub in December 1999.

The defense for Anthony "Wolf" Jones, a Combs bodyguard who is charged with illegal possession of a firearm, rested its case Thursday without calling any witnesses.

Today, the defense opened for Barrow, a Puffy protégé who is accused of firing the shots that wounded three people in Club New York. His lawyers called just one witness before the proceedings closed early for the weekend. David Cubillette, a friend of a former Combs associate, testified he was also at the club during the shooting. Cubillette confirmed he saw two men with guns — Barrow, and one he could not identify.

Barrow's defense is expected to be completed on Monday. The prosecution will likely begin its rebuttal on Tuesday, when it is expected to call Matthew "Scar" Allen. The prosecution alleges Combs got into an argument with Allen that escalated, and then Combs and Barrow began shooting.

'I Thought I Was Being Shot At'

On Thursday, Combs testified that, contrary to what some prosecution witnesses have said, he did not have a gun that night. When he first heard the shots, Combs said, he thought he was the intended target.

"I thought I was being shot at," the star rapper and producer said. "My hands were up. I started to go down. Everybody started falling all over each other."

The founder of the Bad Boy record label and Sean John clothing line gave a vivid description of a festive Sunday night at the nightclub, where he danced on tabletops and treated people to champagne — racking up a $4,000 bar tab. The crowd included rapper Busta Rhymes and members of the New York Knicks, as well as Combs' then-girlfriend, actress and singer Jennifer Lopez.