Nearly two decades after the tragic event, a Las Vegas man has been indicted and arrested on murder charges related to the 1996 shooting death of iconic rapper Tupac Shakur. Duane “Keefe D” Davis now faces murder and use of a deadly weapon charges, according to reports by Rolling Stone.
Las Vegas police have finally made an arrest in connection to Tupac's murder.
Duane “Keffe D” Davis bragged about being one of two "living eyewitnesses to the deadly confrontation," which presumably resulted in police revisiting the case.
🔗 https://t.co/xMvMFedxl8 pic.twitter.com/eAhH8WhS8j
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) September 29, 2023
This significant development comes as Chief Deputy District Attorney Marc DiGiacomo claims that Davis played a pivotal role in the murder of the famed rapper, being the “on-ground, on-site commander” who allegedly ordered the fatal attack. Metropolitan Police Department Lieutenant Jason Johansson also stated in a news conference that Davis “orchestrated the plan that was carried out to commit this crime.”
According to authorities, Davis was the “shot caller” behind a hasty plot seeking vengeance for the beating of his nephew, Orlando Anderson, by Shakur and his entourage inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena on the night of September 7, 1996.
Surveillance footage reportedly revealed a brawl near elevators, involving Anderson and members of Shakur’s group, with one of the attackers identified as Marion “Suge” Knight, co-founder of Death Row Records, the label behind Shakur’s music. This altercation, according to authorities, ultimately led to the “retaliatory shooting death of Tupac Shakur.”
The case gained renewed attention when the Las Vegas Police Department conducted a search of Davis’s residence in July. While suspicion had long hovered over Davis’s involvement in the murder plot, specific details were not initially released.
The search warrant granted LVPD access to Davis’s electronic devices, including phones,c computers, iPADs, thumb drives, external drives, CDs and DVDs. Moreover, the warrant allowed for the search of notes, writings, ledgers, and other documentation pertaining to the late rapper’s murder.
One key factor reigniting interest in Shakur’s death was Davis’s own book. In it, he claimed to have been present in a car during the shooting, and in a 2018 episode of “Death Row Chronicles,” he hinted at knowledge about the assailant.
In his 2019 book, “Compton Street Legend,” Davis described the tragic moment when Shakur was fatally shot but maintained that he did not personally fire any shots.
This arrest, occurring on Friday, marks the first time anyone has been charged in connection with Tupac Shakur’s murder. Davis faces one count of murder with a deadly weapon for his involvement in the 1996 drive-by shooting near the Las Vegas strip. It remains unclear whether he has secured legal representation.
