Duane "Keffe D" Davis, 63, is set to stand trial Monday on a murder charge in the 1996 drive-by shooting that killed Tupac Shakur, one of hip-hop's most influential artists. Davis has pleaded not guilty, with prosecutors alleging he helped plan the attack and provided the gun used in the shooting, though they do not accuse him of firing the fatal shots.
Shakur was shot on September 7, 1996, while a passenger in a BMW driven by Death Row Records founder Marion "Suge" Knight. The rapper died six days later at the age of 25. Hours before the shooting, Shakur, Knight, and others were involved in an altercation at the MGM Grand with Davis' nephew, Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson, a member of the South Side Compton Crips.
Prosecutors state that Davis, Anderson, Deandrae "Freaky" Smith, and Terry "Bubble Up" Brown were later traveling in a white Cadillac that pulled alongside Shakur's vehicle and opened fire. Davis is the only one of the four individuals still alive. While authorities long suspected Anderson was the gunman, evidence has also indicated that Smith may have fired the shots. The murder weapon has never been recovered.
According to the Associated Press, prosecutors aim to demonstrate that Davis orchestrated the shooting and supplied the weapon. Gunfire originated from the Cadillac Davis was in, and he is one of the few surviving witnesses from that night. Davis has admitted to being in the Cadillac and has discussed the killing in interviews and his 2019 memoir, "Compton Street Legend." These statements are cited by prosecutors as evidence of his involvement.
Davis' attorneys have countered that some of his public statements were exaggerated and have questioned the admissibility of statements he made during a 2008 police interview. A Nevada judge ruled that portions of Davis' police interview and his memoir will be permitted in the trial. In November, Davis' legal team unsuccessfully attempted to have the charges dismissed.
Attorneys argued in a petition to the Nevada Supreme Court, which was denied, that "Shakur’s murder was essentially the entertainment world’s JFK assassination — endlessly dissected, mythologized, monetized — so it’s not hard to see why someone in Davis’ position might falsely place himself at the center of it all for personal gain." Shakur's career included over 75 million records sold worldwide, with hits such as "California Love," "Changes," and "Dear Mama." The trial is anticipated to last approximately four weeks.