A significant breakthrough in one of hip-hop’s enduring mysteries unfolded on Friday as Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 60, was arrested and charged with murder, marking the first-ever arrest in the 1996 drive-by shooting of rapper Tupac Shakur. Although Davis wasn’t identified as the gunman, authorities referred to him as the “shot caller.” His involvement in providing the firearm used in the drive-by shooting was confirmed through his interviews and his 2019 memoir, “Compton Street Legend.”
Lt. Jason Johansson, a homicide investigator, credited Davis’s public admissions for reviving the investigation, providing admissible evidence that led to his arrest. Davis was taken into custody near his home on the outskirts of Las Vegas. Prosecutors subsequently announced that a Nevada grand jury had indicted him on one count of murder with a deadly weapon. The grand jury also voted to add a sentencing enhancement for gang activity, potentially adding up to 20 additional years if he’s convicted.
Las Vegas police had previously raided Davis’s home in Henderson, describing the items collected as relevant to Tupac Shakur’s murder. As of now, it’s unclear whether Davis has legal representation. Despite the long wait for justice, the rapper’s family expressed their satisfaction with the news of Davis’s arrest.
The fatal incident occurred on September 7, 1996, when Shakur was in a BMW with Marion “Suge” Knight, the founder of Death Row Records. While waiting at a red light near the Las Vegas Strip, a white Cadillac pulled up beside them, leading to a hail of gunfire. Shakur, aged 25, sustained multiple gunshot wounds and passed away a week later.
In his memoir, Davis admitted to being in the front passenger seat of the Cadillac and confessed to slipping a gun into the back seat, from where the shots were fired. He implicated his nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, as one of the individuals in the backseat. Anderson had a known rivalry with Shakur and had been involved in a casino brawl with the rapper shortly before the shooting.
After the casino altercation, Davis devised a plan to seek revenge on Knight and Shakur in defense of his nephew. Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson passed away two years later and denied any involvement in Shakur’s death.
Efforts to seek comments from lawyers who had previously represented Suge Knight were unsuccessful. Knight had sustained minor injuries from a bullet fragment during the shooting and is currently serving a 28-year prison sentence in California for an unrelated voluntary manslaughter charge.
During Davis’s arrest on July 17, Las Vegas police surrounded his home, detaining him and his wife, Paula Clemons. The police lapel video showed the arrest, but the couple’s faces were blurred. Various items were seized from the residence, including computers, a cellphone, a hard drive, a Vibe magazine featuring Shakur, bullets, photographs, and a copy of Davis’s memoir.
Greg Kading, a retired Los Angeles police detective who extensively investigated Shakur’s killing and wrote a book on the subject, expressed no surprise at Davis’s arrest, noting that he is the last surviving individual among those who conspired in Tupac’s murder.
Tupac Shakur’s death occurred while his fourth solo album, “All Eyez on Me,” remained on the charts, having sold approximately 5 million copies. Nominated six times for a Grammy Award, Tupac Shakur continues to be recognized as one of the most influential and versatile rappers in history.