After nearly three decades of mystery, on top of what seemed to be hundreds of conspiracies, the question of who killed Tupac Shakur may finally be laid to rest. The legendary rapper was shot in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas on Sept. 7, 1996. Shakur later died of his injuries six days later at the age of 25, NBC News reports [1].
Las Vegas Police announced in a press conference held on Sept. 29 the arrest of Duane Keith Davis, a notorious Compton gang leader that was suspected of being in the drive-by car the night of the shooting. Following his arrest, Davis was indicted by a grand jury on a murder charge; this didn’t surprise many, since Davis claimed in his memoir, “Compton Street Legend,” that he was involved in the shooting as a witness [1].
The Associated Press recounted a press interview that Lt. Jason Johansson of the Las Vegas police homicide unit spoke at. “Duane Davis was the shot caller for this group of individuals that committed this crime,” said Lieutenant Johansson. “And he orchestrated the plan that was carried out.” While Davis wasn’t the man who pulled the trigger on Shakur, investigators were able to describe him as the individual behind the planning of the murder. In the state of Nevada, a person can be charged with a crime, including murder, if they helped someone else commit the crime [2].
Investigators stated Shakur was the passenger in a BMW, with Death Row Records founder Marion “Suge” Knight in the driver’s seat, when Davis’s white Cadillac drove up next to the two men and unleashed fire. Shakur was shot four times, including multiple wounds to the chest [2,3].
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, even though Knight was one of the last living witnesses present for Shakur’s death, he has stated he will not be testifying against Davis. Currently serving a 28-year prison sentence for voluntary manslaughter at the Richardson J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, Knight sat down in an interview with TMZ on Oct. 2 recalling the night and remained adamant on not sharing any information [3].
“There were only two people in the car,” Knight stated. “Pac’s not gonna tell the story, I ain’t gonna tell the story. But I can tell you this: I never had nothing bad to say about Orlando because … he wasn’t the shooter … It wasn’t Anderson, so that’s all I got to say about that part. And whatever circumstances—if he had an involvement with anything, if he didn’t have an involvement with anything—I wouldn’t wish somebody going to prison on my worst enemy” [3].
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Davis admitted to providing the gun used in the drive-by shooting to the killer, who remained unidentified in Davis’ confession. A fight broke out in a nearby casino between Shakur and Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, a known enemy of Shakur. Also admitted in his memoir, Davis said he was in the front passenger seat of the infamous white Cadillac, and passed the murder weapon into the back seat of the car. “Little did anyone know that this incident right here would ultimately lead to the retaliatory shooting and death of Tupac Shakur,” Johansson said. [3]
Shakur’s older brother Mopreme described the arrest of Davis as “bittersweet,” and stated he is awaiting further development in the trial. “Keep your popcorn,” Mopreme stated to TMZ. “We’re still waiting for things to unfold. The universe is working. Pac is still here” [3].
Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur, Tupac’s sister, also expressed her relief of Davis’ arrest. “This is no doubt a pivotal moment. The silence of the past 27 years surrounding this case has spoken loudly in our community,” she said. “It’s important to me that the world, the country, the justice system, and our people acknowledge the gravity of the passing of this man, my brother, my mother’s son, my father’s son” [2].
Sources:
- NBC News https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/arrest-tupac-shakur-murder-case-follows-decades-conspiracies-rcna118130
- Associated Press https://apnews.com/article/tupac-shakur-killing-duane-keefe-davis-vegas-3f7050c2a68813d86a96b96fbb3f1d1a
- San Francisco Chronicle https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/article/suge-knight-tupac-shakur-duane-davis-trial-18403981.php