Nearly 30 years ago, rap superstar Tupac Shakur was headed to an afterparty in Las Vegas when he was gunned down in a drive-by shooting, his unknown killers speeding away from the scene in a white Cadillac. This week, the man who police accuse of orchestrating
the fatal hit will stand trial over his death. If convicted, it will put to rest one of hip-hop’s biggest unsolved murders.
Jury selection for the criminal trial of Duane Keith Davis, aka Keffe D, begins Monday, with Nevada prosecutors planning to present evidence on how the South Side Compton Crips gang leader set in motion the fatal Sept. 7, 1996 shooting that would claim the life of one of rap’s most enduring icons.
Davis, 63, was arrested in September 2023 and charged with one count of murder with a deadly weapon, with a gang enhancement. (Davis has not been accused of pulling the trigger, but Under Nevada law, a person can be charged with murder if they aided and abetted a crime.)
The high-profile trial is expected to last four weeks, including one week of jury selection. Here are some things to know about the case.
How Was Tupac Shakur Killed?
Tupac Shakur had been in Las Vegas to catch the much-anticipated boxing match between Mike Tyson and Bruce Seldon on Sept. 7, 1996, at the MGM Grand. After Tyson delivered a knockout blow to Seldon within 109 seconds, Shakur jumped into a black BMW with his Death Row label boss Marion “Suge” Knight to head to a nearby nightclub.
As they were stopped at a red light on the Strip, a white Cadillac pulled up alongside their vehicle and a gunman unloaded his weapon. Knight, who was driving the car, was minorly injured by the spray of bullets, while Shakur took the brunt of the gunfire. Shot four times across his chest, arm and thigh, Shakur was rushed to the hospital. He died from his injuries six days later on Sept. 13, 1996. He was 25.
What Role Did Davis Allegedly Play in Shakur’s Death?
Although Davis isn’t accused of being the gunman, he is charged with helping orchestrate the drive-by shooting by supplying the 40-caliber Glock the gunman used. Davis also had previously claimed to be sitting in the front passenger seat of the killer’s car.
Has Davis Changed His Story?
Davis has changed his story about his alleged participation in Shakur’s killing several times over. He has boasted in numerous interviews and even wrote in his 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend, about his alleged involvement.
After his arrest, Davis changed his tune. He denied that he had any part in the shooting, offering a variety of explanations for why he had claimed to be the ringleader of the murder, including that he wasn’t in Las Vegas that night and had exaggerated his connection for “entertainment purposes.”
As for his tell-all memoir, where he wrote “we couldn’t let no record company studio gangsters do us like that” after the hotel lobby brawl, Davis accused his book’s co-author of taking extreme liberties. “I’ve never read the book,” Davis said in 2025. “I just gave [the co-author] details of my life,” he said. “And he went and did his little investigation and wrote the book on his own.” After a legal back and forth, the judge in Davis’ trial ruled that the contents of the book could be introduced at trial.
How Does the West Coast vs. East Coast Hip-Hop Beef Factor into the Case?
As hip-hop began growing in mainstream popularity in the early 1990s, there was a rivalry brewing between California’s Death Row Records and New York’s Bad Boy Records. Each label had their own champion: Death Row claimed Shakur while Sean “Diddy” Combs plucked the Notorious B.I.G. off a Bed-Stuy street corner and helped turn him into a superstar.
While there was a period of harmony between the two coasts, that imploded after Shakur was ambushed at a Times Square recording studio in November 1994. Shakur had come to the studio to work with a little-known rapper who had connections to Bad Boy, and when armed men in army fatigues robbed and shot him, Shakur pointed the finger at Combs and his crew for setting him up. (Combs has denied this.)
Bad Boy poured gasoline on the feud with the release of Biggie’s “Who Shot Ya” in February 1995, which was largely interpreted as Biggie mocking Shakur. In turn, Shakur responded with the ultimate diss track, the venomous “Hit ‘Em Up” in June 1996.
By the time the Tyson-Seldon fight rolled around, tensions were at an all-time high and as Shakur, Knight, and other Death Row affiliates were leaving the lobby of the MGM, they spied Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson.
Anderson belonged to a faction of the Compton Crips, a notorious rival of the Los Angeles gang the Bloods, of which Knight was associated. Earlier that year, Anderson had allegedly tried to snatch a Death Row chain off someone’s neck, and so when the Death Row crew recognized Anderson as they were leaving the MGM, they jumped him.
Where Does Davis Come Into the Shooting?
Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson happened to be Davis’ nephew and a leader of the Crips. After the brawl, Davis is alleged to have gone looking for Knight and Shakur to retaliate. Davis, Anderson and two other men were alleged to be in the Cadillac that fired on Shakur and Knight.
Did Davis Claim Sean “Diddy” Combs Was Somehow Involved?
In a proffer agreement with a Los Angeles detective who was investigating the circumstances into the Notorious B.I.G.’s March 1997 murder, Davis explained how Los Angeles gangs were subtly brought into the ongoing West Coast vs. East Coast hip-hop rivalry.
Because Death Row was affiliated with the Bloods, Davis claimed that when Combs and his Bad Boy artists came to town, they sought out protection from the Crips. Davis claimed to LAPD detective Greg Kading that during an alleged hangout at Greenblatt’s Deli in West Hollywood, Combs said he “needed to get rid of Knight and Shakur” and would pay $1 million if Davis could “handle the problem.”
Throughout the years, Combs has vehemently denied having any role in Shakur’s death and in December called a Netflix documentary that highlighted Davis’ claims a “shameful hit piece.”
What Has Shakur’s Family Said?
Shakur’s family and loved ones have long awaited closure. Speaking to the Associated Press, Shakur’s stepbrother Maurice “Mopreme” Shakur said he was “cautiously optimistic” that justice will be served. “I hope that the trial is fair, and we find out the truth,” he added.
But even if Davis is found guilty for his alleged role in the shooting, Maurice still demands more answers. This April, he filed a wrongful death lawsuitagainst 99 unnamed co-conspirators in a bid to unravel what his attorneys called a “complex conspiracy to murder Tupac that involved much more than mere retaliation for a prior altercation.”
“Many individuals who were involved have long since passed away, while others have been hard to identify,” the lawsuit said. “Yet, one thing is certain: there remain individuals who were involved in Tupac’s murder who, for 30 years, have not been held accountable for their crimes. This action seeks to change that and to recover damages for the wrongful death of Tupac.”
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