US law enforcement has pressed charges against a former gang leader in connection with the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, marking a significant development in a long-standing case that continues to captivate the public.
Tupac Shakur, a renowned hip-hop icon born in New York, was fatally shot at the age of 25 in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas.
On Friday, a grand jury in Nevada indicted 60-year-old Duane “Keffe D” Davis on a murder charge with a deadly weapon. Police assert that he orchestrated the fatal shooting following a confrontation between Shakur and his nephew at a casino.
Davis was apprehended near his residence in Las Vegas early on Friday and is scheduled to appear in court in the coming days. The Las Vegas Police Department (LVMPD) has released his mugshot.
Greg Kading, a retired detective from the Los Angeles Police Department who spent years investigating Shakur’s murder, expressed that he is not surprised by Mr. Davis’ arrest, as reported by the Associated Press.
“All the other direct conspirators or participants are all dead,” Mr Kading said, calling Mr Davis “the last man standing” in the case.
In court, prosecutor Marc DiaGiacomo described Mr Davis – a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips street gang – as the “on-ground, on-site commander” who “ordered the death” of Shakur.
At a news conference later on Friday, police officer Jason Johansson said the force’s persistence in the investigation had “ultimately paid off”, before explaining what led to the breakthrough.
He said Orlando Anderson, the suspect’s late nephew, and Shakur had been involved in a fight in a casino shortly before the rapper was shot on 7 September 1996. He died in hospital a few days later.
Mr Johansson showed reporters hotel security camera footage of Anderson being beaten. He said this ultimately led to the retaliatory shooting of Shakur as he was waiting in his car at a red light.
https://emp.bbc.com/emp/SMPj/2.50.7/iframe.htmlMedia caption,
Watch: What have the police got on Keffe D?
The officer added it became obvious very quickly that this was a gang-related crime, and the case had been reviewed multiple times.
But it was not until 2018, when new information came to light, that the case was “reinvigorated”.
Mr Johansson also mentioned Mr Davis’s “own admissions” to media outlets that he was in the vehicle where the shots were fired from.
At the same press conference, a visibly emotional Sheriff Kevin McMahill said that “for 27 years the family of Tupac Shakur have been waiting for justice”.
“There have been many people who did not believe that the murder of Tupac Shakur was important to this police department. I’m here to tell you: that was simply not the case.”
“Our goal at LVMPD has always been to hold those… responsible for Tupac’s violent murder accountable,” the sheriff added.
Shakur, whose stage name was stylised as 2Pac, released his debut album in 1991.
One of the most acclaimed names in hip-hop, his death inspired several documentaries.
He sold more than 75 million records worldwide, enjoying chart success with hits including California Love, All Eyez On Me and Changes.
He also found success acting in films like Juice, Poetic Justice, Above The Rim, Gridlock’d and Gang Related.
In June this year the rapper received a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.