LAS VEGAS — Nearly 30 years after Tupac Shakur was fatally shot near the Las Vegas Strip, a Nevada jury is finally hearing evidence in the case against the only person ever charged in connection with his killing.
The murder trial of Duane “Keffe D” Davis began with jury selection Aug. 10 at the Regional Justice Center in downtown Las Vegas. Opening statements followed Aug. 17, bringing one of the most closely watched unsolved cases in music history into a courtroom.
Davis, 63, has pleaded not guilty to murder with a deadly weapon. Prosecutors accuse the former South Side Compton Crips leader of organizing the September 1996 attack that killed Shakur. Davis is not accused of firing the fatal shots.
Prosecutors Call Tupac Shooting an Act of Revenge
Shakur was in Las Vegas on Sept. 7, 1996, when he attended a Mike Tyson fight at the MGM Grand.
After the fight, Shakur and members of his entourage became involved in an altercation with Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, Davis’ nephew. Prosecutors argue that confrontation set the events of the night in motion.
Hours later, Shakur was riding in a BMW driven by Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight. A white Cadillac pulled alongside the vehicle near Flamingo Road and Koval Lane.
Gunfire erupted.
Shakur suffered four gunshot wounds. He died six days later at age 25. Knight suffered minor injuries.
During opening statements, Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal told jurors that prosecutors believe Davis planned the shooting as retaliation for the MGM Grand fight.
Prosecutors allege Davis obtained the weapon and directed the attack from inside the Cadillac. They are also expected to use statements Davis made during interviews and in his 2019 memoir as part of their case.
Defense Challenges the State’s Case
Davis’ defense is presenting a very different account.
Defense attorney Michael Sanft told jurors that Davis’ public stories about the killing were fiction. The defense has questioned why authorities waited decades to charge Davis and argues that prosecutors lack evidence that independently supports his statements.
That disagreement places Davis’ own words at the center of the trial.
The case remained unsolved for decades. However, Davis spoke publicly about the shooting in interviews and later wrote about the events surrounding Shakur’s death.
Those statements helped renew attention on the investigation. Las Vegas police arrested Davis in September 2023 following a grand jury indictment.
First Week Brings Decades-Old Evidence Back to Court
The first week of testimony took jurors back to Las Vegas in 1996.
Prosecutors introduced surveillance footage connected to the MGM Grand confrontation and testimony about the events surrounding the shooting. Members of Shakur’s family have also attended the proceedings.
The trial is expected to continue for several weeks as prosecutors call witnesses and present evidence gathered across nearly three decades.
For Las Vegas, the proceedings revisit one of the most infamous crimes in the city’s history. For Shakur’s fans, they also reopen questions that have followed his death for a generation.
Shakur’s influence has continued long after his death through albums, films and a legacy that helped shape hip-hop culture.
Now, nearly three decades after gunfire ended his life on a Las Vegas street, a jury will decide whether prosecutors have finally established criminal responsibility for his killing.
Davis remains presumed innocent unless prosecutors prove the charge beyond a reasonable doubt.
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