Las Vegas authorities have arrested Duane “Keffe D” Davis in connection with the iconic hip-hop artist Tupac Shakur’s drive-by shooting in 1996. This arrest, almost three decades after the event, has rekindled public interest in a case that has seen numerous theories and investigations.
Davis, previously known to authorities, had admitted in various platforms, including his 2019 memoir “Compton Street Legend,” of being present in the Cadillac from where the fatal shots were allegedly fired. However, specific charges relating to the recent arrest remain undisclosed, pending an anticipated indictment.
The renewed focus on Davis began two months prior when Las Vegas police executed a search on his wife’s residence. Various items, including a magazine featuring Shakur and a copy of Davis’ memoir, were seized.
Davis had previously shared his involvement in the crime, particularly during a confidential 2010 meeting with authorities. At that time, facing a potential life sentence on drug charges, Davis negotiated with officials, believing his cooperation would mitigate legal consequences.
Tupac Shakur’s untimely death occurred in 1996, while he was in a car driven by Death Row Records founder, Marion “Suge” Knight. The infamous incident took place near the Las Vegas Strip. Following a red-light stop, another vehicle approached theirs, and a flurry of gunshots ensued, leading to Shakur’s demise a week later.
Further complicating the narrative, in 2018, Davis publicly asserted on a television interview that his nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, was implicated in the shooting, which came on the heels of a casino altercation involving Anderson and Shakur.
Despite the swirling accusations, Anderson maintained his innocence. He was later killed in a separate shooting incident in Compton.
Shakur, recognized for his trailblazing contributions to hip-hop, experienced great success with his album, “All Eyez on Me,” and earned multiple Grammy nominations. At the time of his passing, Shakur was embroiled in a heated rap rivalry, most notably with the Notorious B.I.G., who also met a tragic end in a shooting the following year.
Greg Kading, a retired LAPD detective who had extensively probed the Shakur case, commented on Davis’s arrest, suggesting it was “long overdue.” According to Kading, while the case was never unsolved in investigative circles, it remained unprosecuted. He believes Davis’s recent public admissions, including the revelations in his memoir, equipped Las Vegas authorities with the necessary tools to proceed with the arrest.
In Kading’s perspective, Davis’s arrest is significant, as he is the last living alleged conspirator from the group suspected of orchestrating Shakur’s assassination. Kading also anticipates that, given the nature of the crime and available evidence, Davis could be charged with first-degree murder.
