Duane Davis faces trial for the 1996 drive-by shooting of Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas, a case linked to long-standing hip-hop rivalries.
Key facts
- •Duane Davis was arrested in September 2023 and charged with murder with a deadly weapon.
- •The trial is expected to last four weeks, including one week for jury selection.
- •Tupac Shakur was 25 years old when he died from gunshot wounds sustained on September 7, 1996.
- •A judge ruled that contents from Davis' 2019 memoir, 'Compton Street Legend,' can be introduced as evidence.
- •Tupac's stepbrother, Maurice “Mopreme” Shakur, filed a wrongful death lawsuit this April against 99 unnamed co-conspirators.
Jury selection begins this week for the criminal trial of Duane "Keffe D" Davis, who is charged with orchestrating the 1996 drive-by shooting of rapper Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas. Davis, a 63-year-old former South Side Compton Crips gang leader, faces one count of murder with a deadly weapon and a gang enhancement. While prosecutors do not allege Davis pulled the trigger, they contend he supplied the weapon used in the attack that killed the 25-year-old artist.
By the numbers
The 1996 Shooting and Investigation
On September 7, 1996, Tupac Shakur was in Las Vegas to attend a boxing match between Mike Tyson and Bruce Seldon. Following the event, Shakur and Death Row Records boss Marion “Suge” Knight were traveling in a BMW when a white Cadillac pulled alongside them at a red light. A gunman opened fire, striking Shakur four times. Shakur died from his injuries six days later on September 13, 1996.
Davis' Alleged Role and Defense
Prosecutors allege Davis helped organize the shooting as retaliation for a brawl at the MGM Grand earlier that night involving his nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, and the Death Row crew. Davis has previously claimed in interviews and his 2019 memoir to have been in the passenger seat of the shooter's vehicle and to have supplied the 40-caliber Glock used in the attack. Since his 2023 arrest, Davis has denied these claims, suggesting he previously exaggerated his involvement for entertainment purposes.
Hip-Hop Rivalry and Allegations
The case is set against the backdrop of the 1990s rivalry between Death Row Records and New York’s Bad Boy Records. Davis previously alleged to investigators that Sean “Diddy” Combs offered $1 million to have Shakur and Knight killed to protect Bad Boy artists. Combs has consistently denied any involvement in the murder, labeling such claims as a “shameful hit piece.”
Timeline
- November 1994Tupac Shakur was robbed and shot at a Times Square recording studio.
- September 7, 1996Tupac Shakur was shot in a drive-by in Las Vegas.
- September 13, 1996Tupac Shakur died from his injuries.
- September 2023Duane Davis was arrested and charged with murder.
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This article was independently rewritten by ManyPress editorial AI from reporting originally published by Rolling Stone.
