Tupac’s accused killer was out for revenge, jury hears

Thirty years after the murder of rapper Tupac Shakur, a Las Vegas jury has begun hearing the case against Duane "Keffe D" Davis, accused of orchestrating the fatal shooting. Prosecutors allege the killing was an act of gang revenge ordered by Davis, a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips.

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On September 7, 1996, Tupac Shakur publicly, on camera, participated in a humiliating beating of Duane Davis’s nephew, Orlando Anderson.

According to prosecutor Binu Pilal, Davis ordered the hit after his nephew, Orlando Anderson, was publicly beaten by a rival mob on September 7, 1996. "Then, two and a half hours later… Tupac is gunned down in a drive-by shooting from a white Cadillac in an act of revenge," Pilal told the court. Pilal stated that Davis did not fire the weapon himself but handed it to someone in his car and instructed them to shoot Shakur.

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Then, two and a half hours later… Tupac is gunned down in a drive-by shooting from a white Cadillac in an act of revenge.

Prosecutors contend that Davis confessed his involvement multiple times over the years in interviews with law enforcement, media, and even in private calls. "Over the years, in private interviews, in public statements, and even in private calls, Duane Davis has repeatedly told us over and over again about the anger he felt, and his own role in the revenge drive-by shooting of Tupac Shakur," Pilal said. Davis, 63, denies all charges and faces a potential life sentence without parole if convicted.

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Over the years, in private interviews, in public statements, and even in private calls, Duane Davis has repeatedly told us over and over again about the anger he felt, and his own role in the revenge drive-by shooting of Tupac Shakur.

The trial is expected to delve into the intense East Coast vs. West Coast hip-hop rivalry of the 1990s. Shakur, a prominent figure associated with West Coast label Death Row Records, was involved in a feud with East Coast label Bad Boy Records, founded by Sean "Diddy" Combs, which was aligned with the rival South Side Compton Crips. The prosecution claims Death Row Records was protected by the Mob Piru gang, with which Knight was affiliated, while Bad Boy Records hired Davis's gang as bodyguards. The events leading up to the shooting, including an altercation where Knight and Shakur allegedly beat up Davis's nephew, are central to the prosecution's narrative.

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And now, nearly 30 years later, we’re going to ask you to finally hold Duane Davis accountable.