Duane “Keffe D” Davis has been charged with the murder of Tupac Shakur, 27 years after the rapper was fatally wounded from a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas.
The identity of the rapper’s killer has remained a mystery for nearly three decades.
Shakur died at the age of 25 on September 13, 1996, several days after he was shot on September 7. He was targeted in Las Vegas as he was leaving the Mike Tyson-Bruce Seldon fight at the MGM Grand and was en route to a nightclub with Death Row Records co-founder Suge Knight.
A white Cadillac pulled up next to the pair’s vehicle on the passenger side and an unidentified gunman fired 14 shots. Shakur was hit four times, later dying from his injuries.
Yesterday (September 29) Las Vegas police arrested a man in connection with the murder of 2Pac. They have since charged the man (Davis), who was named in a report by AP.
Davis faces charges of murder with a deadly weapon with a gang enhancement. At the time of writing he hasn’t commented publicly on the charge.
The suspect is a former member of the gang Compton Crips and uncle of the late Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, the latter of whom was previously identified as a suspect in Shakur’s murder but was never charged with any crimes. Anderson was killed in a shooting in 1998.
Davis has been known to investigators for some time and has admitted both in interviews and his 2019 memoir Compton Street Legend that he was in the Cadillac from which the shots were fired 27 years ago. He has also said he is one of the last living witnesses to the shooting.
In July, Las Vegas police raided the home of Davis’ wife. Documents said that they were looking for items “concerning the murder of Tupac Shakur” and police later reported collecting multiple computers, a cellphone and hard drive, a Vibe magazine that featured Shakur, several .40-caliber bullets, two “tubs containing photographs” and a copy of Compton Street Legend.
Las Vegas Chief Deputy District Attorney Marc DiGiacomo described [via AP] Davis as the “on-ground, on-site commander” who “ordered the death” of Shakur.
“It has often been said that justice delayed is justice denied,” District Attorney Steve Wolfson added in a statement to AP. “In this case, justice has been delayed, but justice won’t be denied.”
Following Davis’ on Friday, Shakur’s sister Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur and actress/TV host Jada Pinkett Smith spoke about the “pivotal moment” [via Rolling Stone].
Sekyiwa, who is president of The Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation, shared in a written note that while the arrest was good news, she’s holding back judgment “until all the facts and legal proceedings are complete”.
“This is no doubt a pivotal moment. The silence of the past 27 years surrounding this case has spoken loudly in our community,” she wrote.
“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. His life and death matters, and should not go unsolved or unrecognised, so yes, today is a victory but I will reserve judgement until all the facts and legal proceedings are complete.
“There have been multiple hands involved and there remains so much surrounding the life and death of my brother Tupac and our Shakur family overall. We are seeking real justice, on all fronts.”
Pinkett Smith, who was high school friends with Shakur, wrote on her Instagram Stories: “Now I hope we can get some answers and have some closure. R.I.P Pac.”
In other news, Drake has bought an iconic ring belonging to Shakur at auction for $1million (£780,000).