Opening statements began this week in the Las Vegas trial of Duane "Keffe D" Davis, who is charged with murder in connection with the 1996 drive-by shooting that killed rapper Tupac Shakur. Davis, 63, a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips, is the only person ever charged in Shakur's killing. Prosecutors allege he ordered the revenge attack and provided the gun used in the shooting, though they do not claim he pulled the trigger.
The proceedings come nearly 30 years after Shakur, 25, was fatally shot while a passenger in a BMW driven by former Death Row Records boss Suge Knight. Shakur had attended a Mike Tyson boxing match at the MGM Grand on September 7, 1996. Hours later, a white Cadillac pulled alongside their vehicle, and gunfire erupted. Shakur died from his injuries six days later.
Mopreme Shakur, Tupac's stepbrother, spoke about the trial, stating he does not believe his family will receive the justice they seek. "The justice I want, I will never get. I want my brother back. Period dot. I want my little brother back," he told BBC News. "Pac didn’t get a trial, he just got a death sentence." He described the pain and heartache endured by the family and Tupac's fans as unmatched.
Despite the deep emotions, Mopreme Shakur also expressed that the family is "cautiously optimistic" about the trial's outcome.
The supplemental witness list for the trial includes several prominent names, such as Sean 'Diddy' Combs and his former bodyguard Eugene 'Gene' Deal, who could be called by prosecutors. Tupac's sister, Sekyiwa Shakur, his stepbrother Maurice 'Mopreme' Shakur, and cousin Katari Cox are also expected to testify. Suge Knight, who was with Tupac at the time of the shooting, is also on the list, though he has repeatedly stated he will not testify.
Knight, who is currently serving a 28-year sentence for a 2015 hit-and-run conviction, has been vocal about his refusal to participate in the trial. In 2023, he told TMZ that he believed police had arrested the wrong man and reiterated to ABC News recently that the trial has "nothing to do with me."
Members of the public hoping to attend the trial in person face limited seating at the Clark County District Court in Las Vegas, with seats allocated via a daily lottery. Those unable to secure a courtroom seat can watch a live feed of the proceedings in a separate room on the courthouse's second floor. The trial is being presided over by Judge Carli Kierny and is expected to last approximately one month.