A 2008 police interview in which Duane 'Keffe D' Davis describes his role in the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur was played for jurors during his ongoing murder trial.

Jurors in the murder trial of Duane “Keffe D” Davis heard a recorded 2008 police interview on Thursday, in which Davis detailed his involvement in the 1996 drive-by shooting of Tupac Shakur. The recording was made during a proffer session where Davis sought to avoid prosecution on drug charges. Davis, 63, is currently on trial in Las Vegas for the murder of the hip-hop legend, a charge to which he has pleaded not guilty.

Details of the 2008 Interview

In the recording, Davis identified himself as being in the front passenger seat of a white Cadillac that pulled alongside the BMW carrying Shakur and Suge Knight on September 7, 1996. Davis stated that his nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, was seated in the back and fired the shots after Davis passed the weapon to the back seat. Davis claimed he would have fired himself had the vehicle been on his side of the car.

Defense and Prosecution Arguments

Prosecutors argue that Davis confessed to the crime during the 2008 interview and later repeated the details in public interviews and his 2019 memoir. The defense contends that Davis fabricated the story to gain leverage and personal advantage while facing drug charges. Defense attorney Michael Sanft argued that authorities did not charge Davis at the time because they did not find his account credible.

Context of the Investigation

Former LAPD detective Daryn Dupree testified that the interview originated from an investigation into the 1997 murder of Christopher Wallace, also known as The Notorious B.I.G. Dupree stated that Davis offered information about Shakur’s murder voluntarily during a meeting regarding the Wallace case. The task force later attempted to use Davis as a confidential informant to investigate potential links between Sean Combs and the shooting, though those efforts did not yield the intended results.