Nearly 30 years after Tupac Shakur was fatally shot in Las Vegas, the only person ever charged in connection with his killing is standing trial.
Jury selection began this week for Duane “Keffe D” Davis, who has pleaded not guilty to murder with a deadly weapon. Prosecutors allege Davis orchestrated the September 1996 drive-by shooting and supplied the gun used in the attack.
Authorities say the shooting was retaliation after Tupac and members of his entourage got into a fight with Davis’ nephew, Orlando Anderson, following a Mike Tyson fight at the MGM Grand.
Davis has spoken publicly about the case for years, including discussing the night of the shooting in interviews and his 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend. Prosecutors are expected to use some of those statements as evidence, while Davis’ defense has challenged how they should be interpreted.
Former Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight, who was driving the car when Tupac was shot, has been identified as a potential witness. Knight, however, has publicly said he wants no part of the case and does not want to testify.
The trial is expected to last several weeks.