Nearly three decades after rap icon Tupac Shakur was killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, the first-ever murder trial linked to his death is set to begin in Nevada.
Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips, is facing trial over the September 1996 killing of the 25-year-old rapper, who was widely known by his stage name, 2Pac.
Shakur was fatally wounded on September 7, 1996, when a white Cadillac pulled alongside the vehicle in which he was travelling with Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight. According to reports at the time, four men in the Cadillac opened fire, striking Shakur multiple times.
Knight was grazed by a bullet and survived, while Shakur suffered critical injuries, including a gunshot wound that damaged his lung. He died in hospital six days later, on September 13, 1996.
Davis is not accused of being the gunman. Prosecutors allege instead that he orchestrated the attack and helped facilitate the events that led to Shakur’s killing.
He faces a charge of murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang. Under Nevada law, a person who aids, encourages, hires, commands or otherwise induces another individual to commit a crime can be prosecuted as a principal.
The case remained unsolved for years despite intense public interest and numerous theories surrounding Shakur’s death.
Davis had previously spoken to investigators in 2008, although his defence has argued that a proffer agreement from that period prevented authorities from using his statements against him.
Interest in the investigation was renewed after Davis published his memoir, Compton Street Legend, in 2019. In interviews promoting the book, he openly discussed the events surrounding Shakur’s death and described himself as one of the few surviving eyewitnesses to the shooting.
His public comments ultimately helped investigators revive the case. Davis was arrested in 2023 and charged with obtaining a firearm allegedly intended to facilitate retaliation against Shakur and Knight.
Prosecutors say the shooting was connected to an earlier confrontation at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, where Shakur, Knight and members of their entourage were involved in an altercation with Davis’ nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, following a Mike Tyson boxing match.
Anderson, DeAndre “Dre” Smith and Terrence “T-Brown” Brown, who prosecutors say were involved in the events surrounding the shooting, have all since died.
Davis has acknowledged in his memoir that a firearm was passed toward the back of the Cadillac as the group approached Shakur’s vehicle. However, he did not identify who fired the shots that killed the rapper.
The identities and roles of those inside the Cadillac have remained a central issue in the decades-long investigation.
Following Davis’ arrest, Las Vegas police said his public comments and media appearances had helped investigators “reinvigorate” the case.
Shakur’s death has remained one of the most enduring mysteries in popular music, inspiring documentaries, books, podcasts and years of speculation about the circumstances surrounding the killing.
The trial now gives prosecutors their first opportunity to present their case in court and could provide new answers to one of hip-hop’s most persistent questions: who was responsible for Tupac Shakur’s death?
