Archive · 11 Aug 2026
Tupac Shakur's 1996 murder case finally heads to trial
A long time ago, in 1996, a famous rapper named Tupac Shakur was shot while riding in a car in Las Vegas.
He was badly hurt and died a few days later, when he was only 25 years old.
For almost 30 years, no one was arrested for the shooting.
Now, a 63-year-old man named Duane "Keffe D" Davis is on trial for Tupac's murder.
Police say Davis helped plan the attack and gave the gun to the people who did the shooting.
Davis says he is not guilty.
Davis himself talked about the case in interviews, a documentary, and a book he wrote, and police say that helped them reopen the case.
Right now, people called jurors are being chosen to listen to the case and decide what really happened.
If the jurors find Davis guilty, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.
Tupac was a very popular rapper, and people all over the world still remember him.
Jury selection began Monday in Las Vegas in the trial of Duane "Keffe D" Davis, the former South Side Compton Crips leader charged in Tupac Shakur's 1996 murder.
Davis, 63, was arrested in September 2023, charged with murder with a deadly weapon, and has pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors allege Davis helped organize the attack and supplied the weapon, though they do not claim he fired the fatal shots; a conviction could mean life in prison without parole.
Shakur was shot near the Las Vegas Strip on September 7, 1996, after attending a Mike Tyson fight at the MGM Grand, and died on September 13, 1996, at age 25.
Davis's interviews, documentary appearances, and 2019 memoir "Compton Street Legend" helped revive the dormant investigation, but his defense says the memoir's claims were fictionalized.
- Who
- Duane "Keffe D" Davis, a 63-year-old former leader of the South Side Compton Crips, is on trial for the 1996 murder of rapper Tupac Shakur.
- What
- Jury selection began in Davis's trial on charges of murder with a deadly weapon for allegedly organizing the drive-by shooting that killed Shakur.
- When
- Jury selection began on Monday, August 10; the shooting took place on September 7, 1996, and Shakur died on September 13, 1996.
- Where
- The trial is being heard at Clark County District Court in Las Vegas; the shooting happened near the Las Vegas Strip.
- Why
- Prosecutors allege the attack was retaliation for a confrontation at the MGM Grand involving Shakur, Suge Knight, and Orlando Anderson, Davis's nephew, and say Davis's own public statements helped revive the investigation.
Prosecution's Position
Defense's Position
Davis's role in the shooting
Prosecution's Position
Davis helped organize the attack and supplied the weapon used in the drive-by; a person who helps another commit a crime can be held equally responsible.
Defense's Position
Davis wrote that a back-seat passenger grabbed a Glock and began firing after Shakur made an "erratic move" and appeared to draw a weapon; Davis never identified the shooter, citing "the code of the streets."
Use of Davis's memoir and public statements
Prosecution's Position
Davis's public statements and 2019 memoir "Compton Street Legend" gave investigators new information that revived the dormant case.
Defense's Position
The memoir was written to sell copies, some of its claims were fictionalized, and Davis has distanced himself from portions of the book.
2008 police interview
Prosecution's Position
The judge ruled that Davis's 2008 police interview can be used at trial.
Defense's Position
Defense sought to block the interview, calling it involuntary and arguing Davis spoke only because authorities promised he would not be prosecuted.
- Defendant
- Duane "Keffe D" Davis (63)
- Victim
- Tupac Shakur
- Charge
- Murder with a deadly weapon
- Plea
- Not guilty
- Court
- Clark County District Court, Las Vegas (Judge Carli Kierny presiding)
- Date of shooting
- September 7, 1996
- Date of death
- September 13, 1996
- Possible sentence
- Life in prison without parole
