Don Diva Magazine Head Shot and Killed

Miami journalist and President of Don Diva magazine, Samuel Ferguson, was shot and killed on Friday, Aug. 14, while driving on the Florida Turnpike.

According to police, Ferguson was heading north on the highway in his maroon 2001 Chevrolet Impala, when a black four-door car carrying several passengers pulled alongside him and fired several shots, causing him to crash into the concrete divider. Ferguson was pronounced dead at the scene. He was 47.

Ferguson was hired at Don Diva nine months ago, in an effort to strengthen the magazine's Florida readership. He was also known as Samuel Silvasteen and "P Man" Sam, and was considered by many to have been a Miami rap pioneer. He was involved in Miami’s rap scene before 2 Live Crew put it on the map. He also had a long history of arrests for weapons and battery, and spent several years in prison on a drug charge in the '80s.

Ferguson was embroiled in a heated controversy last October, when rapper Rick Ross was exposed as having once been a correctional officer, and blamed Ferguson, whom he'd known prior to his hiring at Don Diva, saying "Ferguson is a liar, he's an informant, he's a rat, he's a b----...get at me in the streets n---- you know how we play. This s--- about to get deeper than rap."

Don Diva's Editor-in-Chief, Tiffany Chiles, claimed that Ferguson was attempting to use his position at the magazine to distance himself from his criminal past. "We are deeply saddened by this tragic and senseless incident," Chiles added. "Sam was not just the president of Don Diva South, he was a family friend for over 20 years. Sam was our brother. He was well respected and loved my many. He will be missed."