After nearly 30 years, a man is on trial in the fatal shooting of Tupac Shakur. Here’s what to know

In 1996, renowned rapper Tupac Shakur was tragically shot and killed at the age of 25. This event took place nearly 30 years ago, during a time when Bill Clinton and Bob Dole were engaged in the presidential race, and the Atlanta Olympics had recently concluded. The internet was still in its nascent stages while CDs, such as Shakur's hit album "All Eyez on Me," dominated the music industry.

The rapper's assassination was one of several high-profile deaths in the hip-hop world during the mid-1990s, alongside the passing of Kurt Cobain and Shakur's rival, the Notorious B.I.G.

Duane "Keffe D" Davis, now 63 years old, is on trial for Shakur's murder. Prosecutors claim that Davis orchestrated the rapper's shooting, charging him with one count of murder with a deadly weapon and the intent to promote, further, or assist a criminal gang. Davis has pleaded not guilty. His defense team maintains that there is no evidence suggesting Davis directed the shooting, and they argue that the prosecution is relying on uncorroborated witness testimonies.

The night of the shooting, Shakur and Death Row Records co-founder Marion "Suge" Knight were in Las Vegas to attend a Mike Tyson fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Outside the arena, Shakur, Knight, and their entourage engaged in a brawl with a group that included Davis' nephew, Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson. Prosecutors, authors, and Davis himself believe that the shooting was a retaliatory act following Anderson's beatdown.

Davis' 2019 memoir, "Compton Street Legend," supports this claim, stating that the men "crossed the line" when they engaged in the physical altercation with Anderson.