A Nevada grand jury indicted on Sept. 29, 2023 one of the last living witnesses to the 1996 killing of 25-year-old rapper Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas after hearing evidence in the case for several months.
Duane “Keffe D” Davis, who admitted in his 2019 memoir Compton Street Legend to not only riding in the front passenger seat of the white Cadillac that was used in the fatal September 1996 drive-by shooting, but also slipping the gun that was used in the killing in the backseat, was charged with one count of murder with a deadly weapon, reports AP News. The 60-year-old was arrested while walking near his home in a suburb of Las Vegas, said Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney Marc DiGiacomo.
Back in July, police raided Davis’ home with a warrant to search for items “concerning the murder of Tupac Shakur.” According to AP, they confiscated “multiple computers, a cellphone and hard drive, a Vibe magazine that featured Shakur, several .40-caliber bullets, two ‘tubs containing photographs,’ and a copy of Davis’ memoir.”
Death Row Records founder Marion “Suge” Knight was driving Tupac in a BMW that was part of a convoy of about 10 cars. The white Cadillac pulled up beside them when the vehicle was stopped at a red light and gun fire erupted. Multiple bullets hit Tupac, and he died a week later.
Davis identified his nephew and known rival of Tupac, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, as one of two people sitting in the backseat of the Cadillac. Anderson had been involved in a now-infamous brawl with Tupac and his entourage at a casino shortly before the drive-by.
DiGiacomo, reportedly, said Davis coordinated a plan to get revenge on Tupac and Knight in defense of Anderson, who denied any involvement in Tupac’s death before dying two years later.
The indictment of Davis comes 27 years after Tupac’s death and during the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop.
Tupac’s fourth studio album, All Eyez on Me, had been released on Feb. 13, 1996 and remained on the charts, having sold at least 5 million copies, reports AP. The six-time Grammy Award nominee remains one of the most influential artists and poets.
“It has often been said that justice delayed is justice denied,” District Attorney Steve Wolfson said to AP briefly after the hearing. “In this case, justice has been delayed, but justice won’t be denied.”
