It’s been almost 30 years since rapper, actor, and activist Tupac Shakur was gunned down on a Las Vegas intersection in September 1996. The Poetic Justice star would succumb to his injuries on Sept. 19 at the age of 25. For decades, police struggled to uncover the case as witnesses refused to cooperate. Despite solid leads, the case went cold. But a book would lead to an arrest.
In September 2023, a man who prosecutors say ordered the hit was arrested and charged with murder. Duane “Keffe D” Davis has long been known to investigators as one of four suspects identified early on as being involved. Though he was not the shooter, police say he orchestrated the murder.
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“Duane Davis was the shot caller for this group of individuals that committed this crime,” said Las Vegas police homicide Lt. Jason Johansson at the time of his arrest, per Associated Press, “and he orchestrated the plan that was carried out.”
Davis admitted in interviews and in his 2019 tell-all memoir, Compton Street Legend, that he provided the gun used in the drive-by shooting. His nephew, Orlando Anderson, is suspected of being the shooter. Anderson and Tupac got into a fight the night of the event, with Tupac and his entourage beating Anderson to the ground. Days earlier, Anderson and Tupac had words at a strip mall.
Recently, a Nevada Nevada rejected a motion to dismiss the case against Davis. Davis’ attorney alleged the delay in prosecuting Davis for the 1996 murder was in bad faith and violated his client’s constitutional rights and that the case violated immunity agreements Davis had with law enforcement for other unrelated crimes, The New York Post reports.
In a response, the District Attorney argued that Davis’ most recent confessions were used in the prosecution, and therefore, there was no violation of a prior agreement. Trial is scheduled to begin on March 17.
