The indictment of a former gang leader for the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur is described as a “pivotal moment” by the late rapper’s sister.
Tupac Shakur, the celebrated hip-hop icon from New York, was shot four times at the age of 25 in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas.
On Friday, a grand jury in Nevada charged 60-year-old Duane “Keffe D” Davis with one count of murder with a deadly weapon.
Sekyiwa Shakur remarked that “today marks a victory,” but she also stated that she would withhold judgment until the legal proceedings were concluded.
“It’s important to me that the world, the country, the justice system, and our people acknowledge the gravity of the passing of this man, my brother, my mother’s son, my father’s son,” she posted on Instagram.
“There have been multiple hands involved and there remains so much surrounding the life and death of my brother Tupac and our Shakur family overall. We are seeking real justice, on all fronts,” she continued.
Mopreme Shakur, Shakur’s step-brother, said the charging of Mr Davis was bittersweet.
“We have been through decades of pain,” he told CNN. “They have known about this guy, who been running his mouth, for years.
“So why now? For us, this is not over. We want to know why, and if there were any accomplices.”
Police say Mr Davis planned the deadly shooting after his nephew was involved in a fight with Shakur in a casino.
Mr Davis was arrested near his Las Vegas home early on Friday, and will appear in court within days. Las Vegas police (LVMPD) have shared his mugshot.
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 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.
Shakur was shot in Las Vegas on 7 September 1996. He died in hospital a few days later.
https://emp.bbc.com/emp/SMPj/2.50.7/iframe.htmlMedia caption,
Watch: What have the police got on Keffe D?
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.
Shakur 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.