Prosecutors in Las Vegas have accused former gang leader Duane “Keffe D” Davis of masterminding the 1996 drive-by shooting that killed iconic rapper Tupac Shakur, as his murder trial officially begins.
While acknowledging that Davis did not physically fire the shot, prosecutors assert that he orchestrated the attack as retaliation after his nephew was assaulted during a confrontation with members of Tupac’s entourage.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal highlighted to the jury that details within Davis’ own memoir support their claims about the night of the shooting.
Davis, now 63, has entered a plea of not guilty, denying any involvement in organizing the killing. His defense team dismissed the prosecution’s narrative as “fiction,” questioning why it took nearly three decades to bring charges.
The trial revisits the era of 1990s hip-hop rivalries, gang disputes, and widespread distrust of law enforcement—elements prosecutors say hindered cooperation and delayed resolution.
As one of the prosecution’s initial witnesses, former Las Vegas police officer Garry Dale recounted accompanying Tupac in an ambulance after the attack. Dale testified that despite his injuries, Tupac refused to identify his assailants, stating, “We’ll take care of it.”
Tupac sustained fatal wounds in the Las Vegas shooting in September 1996, passing away days later. The investigation remained unresolved for years until Davis’s arrest and subsequent charges.
BBC
