A 60-year-old gang leader has been arrested in connection with the 1996 shooting of Tupac Shakur – after years of bragging about his involvement in the murder.
Duane “Keefe D” Davis was arrested by Las Vegas detectives Friday morning, but the exact charges remain unclear.
He has spoken openly about being at the scene of the drive-by shooting 27 years ago and admitted to giving the murder weapon to another gang member.
A Netflix documentary previously named Davis’ nephew as the shooter, with the gangster bragging in books and interviews about his involvement in Tupac’s murder.
The leader of the Compton Crip gang even wrote a memoir admitting his role in the hip-hop legend’s fatal shooting.
In the 2018 documentary, he claimed he was riding in the car with his nephew Orlando “BabyLane” Anderson and gave him the murder weapon before shooting.
American rapper and actor Tupac Shakur was killed in a shooting that has been unsolved for 27 years
The 60-year-old leader of the Compton Crip gang even wrote a memoir admitting his role in the hip-hop legend’s fatal shooting
Shakur was 25 years old when he was shot four times in the chest in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996. He died on September 13th.
Davis wrote in his 2019 memoir “Compton Street Legend” that he was in the Cadillac involved in the shooting.
In the book, he said he told authorities about his involvement in the murder in a closed meeting with federal and local authorities in 2010.
“They promised that if I helped them, they would destroy the indictment and stop the grand jury,” he wrote.
He was 46 at the time and facing life in prison on drug charges when he agreed to talk to authorities.
The arrest comes two months after Las Vegas police officers raided Davis’ wife’s home on July 17, looking for items “related to the murder of Tupac Shakur.”
Authorities seized several computers, a cell phone and hard drive, as well as a Vibe magazine featuring Shakur from the property.
They also took several .40-caliber bullets, two “boxes of photos” and a copy of Davis’ memoirs.
Insiders in the investigation claimed in August that homicide investigators were “optimistic” about filing charges in the case.
Davis wrote in his 2019 memoir “Compton Street Legend” that he was in the Cadillac involved in the shooting
In the book, he said he told authorities about his involvement in the murder in a closed meeting with federal and local authorities in 2010.
Shakur was 25 when he was shot and killed in a BMW on the Las Vegas Strip on September 7, 1996
September 7th marked the 27th anniversary of Tupac’s death. The California Love rapper died after being shot with a semi-automatic pistol
In the 2018 documentary, he claimed he was riding in the car with his nephew Orlando Anderson and gave him the murder weapon before shooting
Sources told The US Sun that prosecutors were scheduled to present their case to a grand jury last month.
They added that a criminal trial is expected “imminently” and that they are considering “potential first-degree murder for Keffe D” based on Nevada law.
Anderson denied any involvement in the Shakur shooting. He died two years later in a shootout in Compton, California
Metro Police investigators gave “long and careful consideration” to moving forward with the case and said they “did not enter into the investigation lightly.”
“They knew that if they took action against Davis, the world would be watching,” a source said. “You don’t want to make any missteps.”
Another source added that Keefe’s gloating “got himself into major legal trouble.”
“Who knows what Keefe will do,” they said. “Maybe he could try to negotiate a deal. The global attention on prosecutors and police will be extreme.”
September 7th marked the 27th anniversary of Tupac’s death. The California Love rapper died after being shot with a semi-automatic pistol.
Davis wrote in his memoirs that he helped obtain a gun to murder the rapper as revenge for beating up his nephew Anderson.
Davis said in his memoirs that he had the car repainted and repaired and returned it to a rental company, which was forensically elusive
Davis revealed in the Netflix docuseries that after the beating, they jumped in their Cadillac to find Tupac, knowing he would be performing at the 662 Club that night
Shakur was in a BMW driven by Marion “Suge” Knight, founder of Death Row Records, in a convoy of about 10 cars
At the time, he was feuding with rap rival Biggie Smalls (left), also known as Notorious BIG, who was fatally shot in March 1997
Anderson attempted to steal a Death Row Records medallion from a member of Shakur’s entourage – who was affiliated with LA gang The Bloods.
Later that evening, Shakur and his entourage beat up Anderson at the MGM Grand after watching Mike Tyson fight.
The rival gang, the Southside Crips, sought revenge after Anderson was attacked.
Davis revealed in the Netflix docuseries that after the beating, they jumped in their Cadillac to find Tupac, knowing he would be performing at the 662 Club that night.
Anderson denied any involvement in the Shakur shooting. He died two years later in a shootout in Compton, California.
Davis detailed how he helped coordinate a team of fellow gangsters to kill the rap idol and described throwing the Glock pistol into the trunk of the Cadillac.
Anderson was in the back with another gangster and Davis confirmed that Shakur was shot from the back of the vehicle.
They happened upon Shakur and his entourage and claimed that Shakur was reaching for a gun before he was killed.
His side fired first and he admitted to hiding the Cadillac and gun after the shooting.
Davis said in his memoirs that he had the car repainted and repaired and returned it to a rental company, which was forensically elusive.
Later that evening, Shakur and his entourage beat up Anderson at the MGM Grand after watching Mike Tyson fight
His side fired first and he admitted to hiding the Cadillac and gun after the shooting
The full ticket appeared in “The Main Event” chapter in Compton Street Legend.
Shakur was in a BMW driven by Marion “Suge” Knight, founder of Death Row Records, in a convoy of about 10 cars.
They were waiting at a red light when a white Cadillac pulled up next to them and shots were fired.
He was shot multiple times and died a week later. Davis admitted in 2018 after a cancer diagnosis that he was in the Cadillac at the time of the shooting.
Shakur’s death came as his fourth solo album, “All Eyez on Me,” remained on the charts with around 5 million copies sold.
Shakur has been nominated for a Grammy Award six times and is widely considered one of the most influential and versatile rappers of all time.
At the time, he was feuding with rap rival Biggie Smalls, also known as “Notorious BIG,” who was fatally shot in March 1997.
At the time, both rappers were in the middle of an East Coast-West Coast rivalry that primarily characterized the hip-hop scene in the mid-1990s.