Suspect Charged in 1996 Killing of Tupac Shakur

Facts

• Las Vegas Police said on Friday that they had made an arrest in connection with the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur — a breakthrough in a case that's long been shrouded by conspiracy theories and mystery.¹
• Nevada's grand jury indicted 60-year-old Duane Keith Davis, also known as 'Keffe D,' on one count of murder with a deadly weapon.²
• Prosecutors do not contend he pulled the trigger but that he willed Shakur's death by 'counseling, encouraging, hiring, commanding, inducing and/or otherwise procuring the other to commit the crime.'³
• Shakur was shot four times on Sept. 7, 1996, while at a traffic light in a BMW being driven by Marion 'Suge' Knight after they attended a Mike Tyson fight at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. He died a week later at the age of 25.⁴
• The police allege that Orlando Anderson, Davis' late nephew, and Shakur were involved in a brawl earlier that night that ultimately led to a revenge shooting of the hip-hop legend.²
• In a 2019 memoir titled 'Compton Street Legend,' Davis admitted he provided the gun used in the drive-by shooting. He also said he was in the front seat of the Cadillac from where shots were fired. Though he implicated Anderson, the latter denied involvement in Shakur's death.⁵

Sources: ¹Associated Press, ²BBC News, ³NBC, ⁴Guardian and ⁵Voa.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Guardian. For 27 years, Shakur's family had been waiting for justice. Davis' arrest is the result of prosecutors' relentless efforts to hold those responsible for the rapper's violent murder to account. Justice will finally be served in this long-running case.
• Narrative B, as provided by Newsweek. Nearly three decades since the incident, there have been numerous rumors, including that Shakur may have been killed due to a rivalry between music labels. While the case may appear to be closed, as Davis' arrest is based on his memoir and he's the last living suspect, the details surrounding Shakur's death may remain a mystery.