Las Vegas — The man who prosecutors say orchestrated the 1996 killing of rap icon Tupac Shakur is scheduled to go to trial Monday, almost 30 years after the fatal drive-by shooting in Las Vegas. Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, faces a single count of murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang in Shakur’s death. He has been jailed since late 2023 and has pleaded not guilty.
For decades, Shakur’s unsolved killing has gripped hip-hop fans. He is considered one of the most influential rappers of all time, with songs that speak to the human experience of love, heartache, and familial relationships. Shakur sold over 75 million records worldwide with hits like “California Love,” “Changes,” and “Dear Mama.” His songs spanned from party anthems to deep social commentary, and the issues he discussed still resonate with people 30 years later, according to history professor Jeffrey O.G. Ogbar.
“I can’t think of anyone else in the history of hip-hop who’s had a greater impact in such a short period of time,” said Ogbar, who is the founding director of the Center for the Study of Popular Music at the University of Connecticut. When Shakur died, he was in the midst of a fierce battle for dominance in a music scene increasingly shaped by rival gangs and record label tensions.
The trial, which is expected to last about a month, likely won’t reveal who pulled the trigger. Instead, prosecutors hope to prove that Davis was the shot caller and provided the weapon. Gunfire came from the Cadillac that Davis was in, and he is one of the only people there that night who is still alive. Prosecutors say if Davis hadn’t written explicitly about the killing, or talked about it in interviews, it’s likely no one would have been charged.
On Sept. 7, 1996, Shakur was in the passenger seat of a black BMW and Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight was driving. They had just watched Mike Tyson knock out Bruce Seldon and were headed to a nightclub where Shakur was scheduled to perform. Shakur was shot multiple times and died six days later, while Knight survived with minor injuries. Knight is currently serving a 28-year prison sentence for a separate fatal hit-and-run.
The case went cold for years until Davis began making public statements about his involvement as a leader of the South Side Compton Crips. In 2019, he published a tell-all memoir titled “Compton Street Legend.” The book, along with interviews Davis gave, revived the police investigation. In his book, Davis claims that Sean “Diddy” Combs wanted Knight and Shakur killed.
Davis’ defense attorneys argue there is no evidence he directed the shooting and the state relies on witnesses who weren’t there. The defense said Davis left the narcotics trade in 2009 and worked a steady job before illness forced him to retire in 2014. They unsuccessfully fought to block the use of the book and a recording of a 2008 police interview in the trial, arguing the book was fictionalized and had a co-author, making it impossible to verify as a confession.
For Shakur’s family, the last 30 years have been exhausting and stressful, his stepbrother Maurice “Mopreme” Shakur said. Sitting through the trial will be retraumatizing, Shakur said, but he is “cautiously optimistic” that justice will finally come. “I hope that the trial is fair, and we find out the truth,” he added.
Hundreds of pages of grand jury transcripts portray Tupac Shakur’s shooting as a culmination of a longstanding feud between rival record labels Death Row Records and Bad Boy Records, as well as rival gang sects. Witnesses said South Side Compton Crips hung out with and provided protection to Bad Boy Records, which was founded by Combs and included rappers like The Notorious B.I.G., or Christopher Wallace.
The rival gangs fought and retaliated against each other both before and after Shakur’s death. Prosecutors allege Davis orchestrated the shooting to get revenge after Shakur and his entourage beat up Davis’ nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, at the MGM Grand hours before the shooting occurred. Davis has previously denied any involvement in an interview with CBS Las Vegas affiliate KLAS-TV.
There is significant public interest in the trial. The Eighth Judicial District Court will implement a lottery system to determine who will get to watch in the main courtroom, according to KLAS, and the court will provide an overflow room with live video of the proceedings for the public.
As the legal proceedings begin, the legacy of Shakur remains a focal point for the music industry and his fans. The trial represents a rare opportunity to address the violence that defined a turbulent era in hip-hop history, potentially providing closure for those who have followed the case for nearly three decades.
“We couldn’t let no record company studio gangsters do us like that,” the book says.
When they encountered Shakur and Knight, Davis claimed to see Shakur reach for a weapon and wrote that “one of my guys from the back seat grabbed the Glock and started bustin’ back.”
No weapon was found in Knight and Shakur’s car, according to retired Las Vegas police Detective Clifford Mogg, who was assigned to the investigation in early 2018.
But at a red light near the Las Vegas Strip, a white Cadillac pulled up beside them and gunfire erupted.
Mob Piru, part of the larger Bloods gang, was associated with Death Row Records, which featured rappers like Shakur, Snoop Dogg and Dr.
They also argued Davis’ interview with a federal task force investigating the deaths of Wallace and Shakur was supposed to be confidential and not used against him.
He’s serving roughly four years in prison after being convicted of prostitution-related charges.
Combs’ attorney did not return emailed requests from The Associated Press for comment.
Seating in the overflow room will be limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Source: CBS News
