Duane Davis sentenced to minimum 40 years for Tupac killing

Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, was sentenced in a Las Vegas courtroom on Tuesday to 40 years to life in prison for orchestrating the 1996 drive-by shooting death of rapper Tupac Shakur. Davis, a former Los Angeles gang leader, was found guilty of first-degree murder in August. According to the Jerusalem Post and Daily Maverick, the murder occurred when Shakur was shot while in the passenger seat of an SUV driven by record executive Marion “Suge” Knight.

DW English reports that Shakur was wounded on September 7, 1996, and died in a hospital six days later at the age of 25.

The prosecution established that Davis masterminded the killing to avenge the beating of his nephew by Shakur and members of the rapper’s entourage at the MGM Grand casino on the Las Vegas Strip. This incident stemmed from hostilities between two Los Angeles-area street gangs, according to the Jerusalem Post and South China Morning Post. While Davis has been convicted for orchestrating the attack, the Jerusalem Post and Daily Maverick note that it has not been conclusively decided who pulled the trigger.

Davis is the only person ever charged in connection with the killing, according to DW English. The murder, which took place during the golden age of rap, fueled the East Coast-West Coast gangsta rap feud, as noted by Le Monde English. Davis has stated he would appeal his conviction.

Brief written by urgent.news from Le Monde English, Jerusalem Post, DW English (Top Stories), Daily Maverick, South China Morning Post — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.