Gang leader masterminded Tupac's murder, prosecutor says

Tupac and Duane “Keffe D” Davis g1 Former street gang leader Duane “Keffe D” Davis orchestrated the 1996 Las Vegas shooting of hip-hop star Tupac Shakur from a car in retaliation for the assault of his nephew, a prosecutor told jurors during opening arguments in a murder trial related to a long-unsolved crime that became a landmark moment in rap history. He is accused of murder with the use of a deadly weapon and has pleaded not guilty. Davis is accused of leading a group of men to kill Shakur, then 25, in a 1996 drive-by shooting near the Las Vegas Strip. "You will learn that when the opportunity for retaliation arose, Duane Davis made sure the shooters were armed and ready to carry out their plan. And, surprisingly, you will learn this from Duane Davis himself," said prosecutor Binu Palal, referring to recent public statements by Davis that revived the long-dormant case. Defense lawyer Michael Sandt said that after 30 years, investigators still have very little evidence to support the accusation. “At the end of the day, you have to ask yourselves: Is what they are saying truth or fiction?” Sandt told the jury. Murder of rapper Tupac Shakur comes to trial after 30 years The murder reinforced the image of violence that permeated hip-hop culture and its lyrics during the golden age of “gangsta” rap, fueling the rivalry between East Coast and West Coast rap at that time. Police reported after Davis' 2023 arrest that he was a longtime suspect in the murder, but that investigators did not have enough admissible evidence to charge him until he began incriminating himself in a series of public statements. The trial before Judge Carli Kierny is expected to last up to six weeks in a downtown Las Vegas courtroom. He will be able to rely on testimony from Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight, a former rap mogul who was with Shakur the night he was murdered and who is now serving a 28-year prison sentence for an unrelated manslaughter conviction. A jury was selected last week. Who was the mastermind Duane “Keffe D” Davis, named as the mastermind behind Tupac's death Reuters Authorities described Davis as the “mastermind” of a hasty plan to avenge the aggression suffered by his nephew at the hands of Shakur and members of his entourage inside the MGM Grand casino, in Las Vegas, on the night of September 7, 1996. The violence in the casino allegedly began due to a feud between two street gangs in the Los Angeles region — the South Side Compton Crips, of which Davis called himself a leader, and the Mob Piru, who police said were associated with Knight and Death Row Records. They were in Las Vegas to watch a world heavyweight boxing title fight between Mike Tyson and Bruce Seldon. Davis allegedly obtained the murder weapon and gave it to two other men in the backseat of a white Cadillac as they drove around looking for Knight and Shakur's car after the fight. Shots were fired as Davis and the others reached Knight and Shakur's vehicle. Shakur was hit four times and died in the hospital six days later. Knight, who was driving, suffered a minor injury from a bullet fragment that grazed his head. Cold case resurfaced Tupac Shakur on the cover of the 1996 album 'All eyes on me' Reproduction The murder investigation was paralyzed for years, but police stated that statements made by Davis in 2018 to several media outlets about his involvement in the shooting reactivated the case. Davis said in interviews and in his 2019 memoir, “Compton Street Legend,” that he was in the front passenger seat of the Cadillac and had handed the gun to one of the two men sitting behind him, according to police. But neither Davis' account nor authorities revealed who shot Shakur. The other three men who were in the Cadillac with Davis have since died. Under Nevada law, Davis can be charged with murder if he participated in the crime without pulling the trigger. In his book, Davis wrote that he was long considered a suspect in the murders of Shakur and a rival rapper, Christopher Wallace, who performed as The Notorious B.I.G. by New York-based record label Bad Boy Entertainment and was shot to death in Los Angeles in March 1997. Although Wallace's murder remains unsolved, investigators have long speculated that he was shot in retaliation for Shakur's murder that occurred months earlier.