Trial begins in Tupac Shakur murder case after 30 years
The long-running investigation into the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur has reached a major stage, with the trial of former gang leader Duane “Keffe D” Davis beginning in Las Vegas.
Jury selection is scheduled to start Monday in Clark County, Nevada. Davis, 63, faces one charge of murder with the use of a deadly weapon. He has pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors accuse Davis of playing a leading role in the drive-by shooting that killed Shakur nearly three decades ago.
Shakur was 25 when he was shot near the Las Vegas Strip on September 7, 1996. He was riding in a car with Marion “Suge” Knight, the co-founder of Death Row Records.
The shooting became one of the most famous unsolved cases in music history. It also became closely linked to the violent rivalry between East Coast and West Coast rap artists during the 1990s.
According to authorities, the incident followed a fight at the MGM Grand casino. The confrontation allegedly involved Shakur and members of his entourage and a man connected to Davis.
Investigators believe the shooting was carried out as an act of retaliation.
Police have described Davis as a key figure in the alleged plan. Authorities say he helped obtain the weapon and was travelling in a white Cadillac with three other men when the shooting occurred.
The Cadillac reportedly followed the vehicle carrying Shakur and Knight.
Gunfire was exchanged when the two cars came close to each other. Shakur was struck four times.
He was taken to hospital but died six days later from his injuries.
Knight, who was driving the vehicle, suffered a minor injury after a bullet fragment grazed his head.
The investigation remained unresolved for almost 30 years.
Authorities say the case gained new momentum after Davis made a series of public statements about the shooting.
His comments reportedly included details about his presence in the Cadillac and his alleged role in obtaining the weapon.
Davis also discussed the incident in his 2019 memoir, “Compton Street Legend”.
According to police, Davis said he was sitting in the front passenger seat and passed the firearm to one of the men in the back of the vehicle.
However, the identity of the person who actually fired the shots remains a central issue in the case.
The other three men who were reportedly inside the Cadillac have since died.
Under Nevada law, a person can face a murder charge for participating in a killing even if they did not personally fire the weapon.
The trial is being heard by Judge Carli Kierny at a courthouse in downtown Las Vegas. Proceedings could continue for as long as six weeks.
One potential witness is Knight, who was with Shakur on the night of the shooting. Knight is currently serving a 28-year prison sentence in an unrelated voluntary manslaughter case.
The prosecution’s case is expected to examine the events leading up to the shooting and Davis’s alleged role in the plot.
The case has remained a major subject of public interest because of Shakur’s influence on hip-hop.
His death occurred during a period of intense rivalry between artists and record labels associated with the East and West coasts of the United States.
The killing was followed by the death of another major rapper, Christopher Wallace, better known as The Notorious B.I.G., who was shot dead in Los Angeles in March 1997.
Wallace’s murder also remains officially unsolved.
For years, theories have linked the two killings, with speculation that Wallace’s death was connected to the violence surrounding Shakur’s murder.
Davis’s trial now offers prosecutors an opportunity to present their evidence in court after decades of uncertainty surrounding Shakur’s death.
