In a significant breakthrough for one of the most infamous unsolved mysteries in hip-hop history, Las Vegas police have arrested a man in connection with the 1996 drive-by shooting of iconic rapper Tupac Shakur. The arrest of Duane “Keffe D” Davis, a former gang leader and prominent Los Angeles drug dealer, marks a pivotal moment in a long-standing investigation that has captivated music fans and detectives alike.
The exact charges against Davis were not immediately disclosed, as authorities anticipate an official indictment later on Friday. This development comes two months after a police raid on Davis’s wife, Paula Clemons’s home, on July 17th, in the neighboring city of Henderson. The search warrant explicitly mentioned items related to the “murder of Tupac Shakur.” Among the items collected were computers, a cellphone, a hard drive, a Vibe magazine featuring Shakur, .40-caliber bullets, photographs, and a copy of Davis’s memoir, “Compton Street Legend.”
Davis’s memoir, published in 2019, included a startling revelation: his direct involvement in the September 1996 drive-by shooting of Tupac Shakur. In the book, Davis admitted that he was present in the white Cadillac from which the fatal shots were fired, shattering the long-held silence surrounding the murder. He went on to describe a pivotal moment in 2010 when he decided to cooperate with federal and local authorities in exchange for leniency in his pending drug-related charges. This cooperation ultimately led to his arrest.
The shooting that claimed the life of Tupac Shakur occurred on September 7, 1996, shortly after he attended a Mike Tyson fight at the MGM Grand Hotel. An altercation with Orlando Anderson and others in the hotel lobby preceded the tragic incident. Hours later, while Shakur was en route to an afterparty alongside Death Row Records founder Marion “Suge” Knight in a convoy of approximately ten cars, another vehicle pulled up beside Shakur’s BMW at a red light and unleashed a hail of bullets. Shakur sustained four gunshot wounds and succumbed to his injuries six days later.
Yaki Kadafi, who had been in the car directly behind Shakur, identified the assailants as occupants of a white Cadillac. Tragically, Las Vegas police failed to follow up on this crucial lead. Kadafi himself met a grim fate, falling victim to an unrelated shooting in New York two months later.
Davis’s public admission to his role in the attack occurred in 2018, during an interview for a BET show, where he also implicated his nephew, Orlando Anderson, as one of the individuals in the backseat of the Cadillac. Anderson consistently denied involvement in Shakur’s murder and met his demise two years later in a shooting in Compton, California.
The murder of Tupac Shakur, one of the most influential and versatile rappers of all time, remains deeply embedded in the annals of hip-hop history. His passing occurred amidst a bitter feud with fellow rapper Biggie Smalls, known as the Notorious B.I.G., who was fatally shot in March 1997. This feud unfolded within the backdrop of an east coast-west coast rivalry that dominated the mid-1990s hip-hop scene.
Greg Kading, a retired Los Angeles police detective who dedicated years to investigating the Shakur murder, expressed his expectation of Davis’s indictment and arrest, describing it as long overdue. Kading, who interviewed Davis extensively during his investigations, emphasized Davis’s crucial role in the conspiracy, as he acquired the murder weapon, provided it to the shooter, and was present during the fateful encounter with Tupac Shakur and Suge Knight. Kading believed that Davis’s public declarations were instrumental in reviving the case.
With the last living witness among those in the vehicle during the attack now in custody, it is a pivotal moment in the pursuit of justice for Tupac Shakur. The arrest of Duane “Keffe D” Davis brings renewed hope for closure in a case that has captivated the music world for over two decades.