Duane "Keffe D" Davis told detectives in 2008 that his nephew fired the fatal shots that killed rapper Tupac Shakur, according to a recording played in court during Davis's murder trial. Davis is accused of orchestrating the 1996 killing in Las Vegas.
![Duane "Keffe D" Davis appears in court for his murder trial in Las Vegas]( "Duane "Keffe D" Davis appears in court for his murder trial in Las Vegas")
In the interview, detective Kading told Davis that nothing he said could be used against him. However, prosecutors argue that any agreement was voided when Davis publicly shared his account in a memoir years later. The prosecution stated that the book revealed Davis's anger after his nephew was involved in a fight with Shakur at a Las Vegas casino, quoting Davis as writing, "Them jumping on my nephew gave us the ultimate green light to do something to their ass."
Davis claimed in the memoir that he was in the vehicle when Tupac was shot and "tossed" the weapon used in the killing into the backseat. He has since distanced himself from the book, asserting that parts were fictionalized and that he did not write the entire memoir.
During the interview with detectives, Davis stated that he had multiple discussions with Sean "Diddy" Combs about killing Shakur. Detectives questioned Davis about meetings with Combs during Bad Boy Records tour stops in San Diego, Anaheim, Irvine, and Las Vegas. When asked which of the four locations was when he spoke to Combs about murdering Tupac, Davis responded, "It was really about both of them, yeah, either one of them." Kading then asked if he was referring to Tupac and Suge Knight, the founder of Death Row Records who was with Shakur during the shooting, to which Davis replied, "Yeah."
Davis's lawyer, Sanft, has questioned the evidence presented, asking jurors to consider the lack of corroboration for Davis's statements. Sanft has argued that prosecution witnesses are unreliable and the police investigation had significant issues. Earlier in the trial, a former Las Vegas homicide detective testified that no witnesses could identify the shooter. Another witness, James "Mob James" McDonald, a former member of Shakur's entourage, testified that individuals within Shakur's circle quickly identified who was responsible for the shooting, even though he was not present. McDonald described the situation as a "gang war" where people were being sought because "people wanted to kill them."