Jury selected for trial of former gang leader accused of ordering Tupac Shakur's fatal shooting

A jury of six men and 10 women was chosen on Thursday to decide the case against a former gang leader, charged with orchestrating the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur. Opening statements in the Las Vegas murder trial are set to commence on Monday. Family members and admirers of the late rapper have been eagerly awaiting answers to the questions surrounding the 1996 drive-by shooting that claimed Shakur's life at the peak of his career.

At 25, Shakur was gunned down near the Las Vegas Strip during a turbulent period in the music industry, marked by rival gang conflicts. In 2019, Duane "Keffe D" Davis was charged with the murder, dubbed the "shot caller" who supposedly ordered the killing. Davis has pleaded not guilty, and if convicted, faces a potential life sentence in prison.

Sixteen jurors were chosen for the trial, with a projected duration of about a month. During the jury selection, jurors were questioned about their interests, feelings about gangs, and their familiarity with Shakur's music. Shakur remains an iconic figure in the rap industry, with over 75 million records sold worldwide and numerous hits like "California Love" and "Dear Mama."

On September 7, 1996, Shakur was in a BMW driven by Death Row Records co-founder Marion "Suge" Knight when shots rang out from a Cadillac at a red light. Knight survived, but Shakur succumbed to his injuries six days later. Prosecutors do not allege that Davis himself fired the fatal shots but rather claim he orchestrated the plan and supplied the weapon.

Davis is the sole surviving individual from the car where the fatal shots were reportedly fired. The case against Davis was reignited after he released the book "Compton Street Legend" in 2019, detailing his experiences in the Crips and his involvement in the shooting. Davis' attorneys unsuccessfully sought to exclude certain details from the book and any information from his 2008 police interview, arguing that the book was fictionalized and co-authored, rendering it unreliable.

They also contended that Davis' previous confidential interview with a federal task force should not be admissible during the trial. Potential witnesses in the trial include Knight, the rap mogul whose Death Row Records represented Shakur, who has consistently declined to participate in the trial. Knight, serving a 28-year sentence for a separate murder, is the only surviving person present in the car with Shakur during the incident.

Prosecutors anticipate calling between 35 and 45 witnesses, including individuals who witnessed Shakur moments before his death and those who were associates of both Shakur and Davis at the time. Sean "Diddy" Combs, who Davis alleged sought the deaths of Shakur and Knight, will not testify.