Duane Davis Goes on Trial Next Week for Orchestrating Tupac Shakur's 1996 Drive-By Killing Nearly 30 Years Ago

Duane 'Keffe D' Davis is due to stand trial next week in Las Vegas for orchestrating the 1996 drive-by killing of Tupac Shakur, almost 30 years after the rapper's death. The 63-year-old faces a single count of murder with a deadly weapon with intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang.

Jury selection begins on 10 August 2026 before Judge Carli Kierny, with the case expected to last around four weeks. Prosecutors allege Davis was the shot caller who supplied the weapon used in the attack near the Las Vegas Strip.

The Night of the Shooting and Long Cold Case

On 7 September 1996, Shakur, then 25, was riding in a black BMW driven by Death Row Records founder Marion 'Suge' Knight after attending a Mike Tyson fight at the MGM Grand.

At a red light on East Flamingo Road and Koval Lane just off the Strip, a white Cadillac pulled alongside and opened fire. Shakur was hit by four rounds and died six days later in hospital from his injuries.

Knight suffered only minor injuries. Authorities say Davis, a leader of the South Side Compton Crips, was in the Cadillac with his nephew Orlando 'Baby Lane' Anderson and two associates, all of whom are now deceased.

The attack followed a brawl hours earlier at the MGM Grand in which Shakur's group assaulted Anderson.

Detectives linked the killing to a long-running feud between rival gangs associated with Death Row and Bad Boy Records, yet the investigation went cold for more than two decades until Davis's public statements revived it.

Prosecutors' Case Built on Davis's Own Words

The prosecution's theory rests heavily on Davis's 2019 memoir Compton Street Legend and a 2008 police interview, both ruled admissible by Judge Kierny after defence challenges.

In the book Davis describes obtaining a handgun and tossing it into the back seat before the encounter, claiming one of his companions then fired when he believed Shakur reached for a weapon.

A prosecutor told the court that without these public admissions, 'Had Mr. Davis never opened his mouth, never written the book, he would probably not have been prosecuted for the crime.'

Davis has pleaded not guilty and has been held since his arrest in September 2023. Defence counsel maintain there is no independent evidence that Davis directed the shooting and that the interview was given under a promise it would not be used against him.

The trial is not expected to name the shooter, focusing instead on Davis's alleged role as the organiser who provided the firearm.

Pretrial Rulings and Family Perspectives

Judge Kierny denied full jury sequestration while approving limited measures to shield jurors from media coverage.

She also rejected attempts to exclude the memoir, ruling that Davis had described it as the 'real truth'.

Shakur's stepbrother Maurice 'Mopreme' Shakur has said he remains 'cautiously optimistic', adding 'I hope that the trial is fair, and we find out the truth'.

Davis faces life imprisonment without parole if convicted. As of 6 August 2026 the defence team has expressed confidence while the prosecution prepares to present the book and recorded statements as central exhibits.

The outcome of the proceedings will determine whether questions around one of hip-hop's most enduring mysteries finally receive a courtroom answer after nearly three decades.