Las Vegas jury convicts former gang leader in Tupac Shakur murder

A Las Vegas jury on Monday, August 31, found Duane "Keffe D" Davis guilty of first-degree murder for orchestrating the 1996 killing of hip-hop legend Tupac Shakur. The 63-year-old, who once led the South Side Compton Crips, was convicted after just over two hours of deliberations following an 11-day trial. Davis is the sole individual charged in Shakur's death.

Prosecutors argued that Davis supplied the weapon and ordered the drive-by shooting as retaliation after Shakur and Death Row Records co-founder Marion "Suge" Knight assaulted his nephew, Orlando Anderson, on September 7, 1996. The court heard that while Davis did not personally discharge the weapon, he was the "shot caller" in the white Cadillac from which Shakur was struck near the Las Vegas Strip.

Tupac Shakur, 25, succumbed to his injuries six days later. Much of the prosecution's case hinged on statements made by Davis in police interviews, TV documentaries, and his 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend. If convicted, Davis faces a life sentence without the possibility of parole. He is scheduled to be sentenced on October 13 and has stated his intention to appeal.