Tupac Shakur murder trial may finally reveal who fired the fatal shots
Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis is accused of orchestrating the 1996 Las Vegas drive-by shooting, but conflicting testimony has renewed questions over who pulled the trigger
Nearly three decades after the tragic death of Tupac Shakur, his murder trial may finally uncover the identity of the person who fired the fatal shots. Duane "Keffe D" Davis, 63, is accused of orchestrating the September 7, 1996, drive-by shooting that claimed Shakur's life and left Death Row Records founder Marion "Suge" Knight wounded. Davis, who has pleaded not guilty, is set to go on trial on August 10.
Shakur was riding in the passenger seat of a black BMW driven by Knight when a white Cadillac pulled up next to them. The gunfire ensued, leaving Knight grazed but alive, while Shakur died a week later at the age of 25. Three other men were in the Cadillac with Davis, but none were charged before his death.
Court records, grand jury testimony, interviews, and Davis' 2019 memoir provide conflicting accounts of the events surrounding the shooting. Shakur, one of the most influential rappers in history, had five No. 1 albums, six Grammy nominations, and a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His fourth solo album, "All Eyez on Me," was still charting at the time of his death.
Davis claims that he and Knight were childhood friends and that they were the "only living eyewitnesses" to the events leading up to the shooting. He states that the drive-by was retaliation for an assault on Anderson, Davis' uncle and 12 years his senior, who was beaten in a brawl at the MGM Grand. However, Anderson was later killed in an unrelated shooting, and Smith, who was seated beside Anderson in the Cadillac, has been named as the potential gunman by authorities and a former Davis associate.
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