Opening statements are scheduled to begin in the murder trial of Duane "Keffe D" Davis, who is accused in the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur. Davis, 63, faces charges in connection with the Las Vegas drive-by shooting that resulted in Shakur's death. Prosecutors allege Davis was in a Cadillac with three other individuals when the shooting occurred, targeting Shakur and music executive Marion "Suge" Knight, who survived the attack.
Davis has previously detailed the events of the shooting in a 2008 interview with detectives and in his 2019 book, "Compton Street Legend: Notorious Keffe D's Street-Level Accounts of Tupac and Biggie Murders, Death Row Origins, Suge Knight, Puffy Combs, and Crooked Cops." In promotional material for the book, Davis is described as a "former shot caller for the Southside Compton Crips and Kingpin of a Compton based drug operation" and "one of the only living witnesses to the 1996 slaying of rapper Tupac Shakur."
![Duane "Keffe D" Davis enters a courtroom in Clark County District Court for a trial readiness status check at the Regional Justice Center on June 17, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada.]( "Duane "Keffe D" Davis enters a courtroom in Clark County District Court for a trial readiness status check at the Regional Justice Center on June 17, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada.")
The defense has contended that Davis embellished his accounts in the book and has challenged the admissibility of his statements from the 2008 interview. A judge, however, ruled that remarks made during a 2008 interview, when Davis was a confidential informant for the Los Angeles Police Department, could be allowed at trial due to his subsequent public statements in the book.
Knight, another potential witness, has reportedly stated he does not intend to cooperate if called to testify, though his name is on the prosecution's witness list. Knight is currently serving a 28-year prison sentence for an unrelated conviction. He has not responded to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.
Shakur was struck by four bullets on Sept. 7, 1996, while riding in a BMW with Knight on the Las Vegas Strip. He died from his injuries six days later at the age of 25. The other individuals believed to have been in the vehicle with Davis at the time of the shooting have since died.
Hours before the shooting, Shakur, Knight, and others were involved in an altercation at the MGM Grand with Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson, who is identified as Davis' nephew and a member of the South Side Compton Crips. The other two individuals reportedly in the Cadillac were Deandrae "Freaky" Smith and Terry "Bubble Up" Brown.