Las Vegas police have charged Duane “Keffe D” Davis with the murder of Tupac Shakur some 27 years after the rapper was gunned down.
Davis was arrested early Friday morning, according to The Associated Press. He faces charges of murder with a deadly weapon with a gang enhancement.
Las Vegas Chief Deputy District Attorney Marc DiGiacomo described Davis as the “on-ground, on-site commander” who “ordered the death” of Shakur.
Davis is a former member of the Compton Crips and uncle of the late Orlando Anderson, the latter of whom was previously identified as a suspect in Shakur’s murder, but was never charged with any crime. In July, police executed a search warrant on Davis’ home in Henderson, Nevada, as they looked for personal notes, photos, and other documents relevant to the rapper’s death.
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Davis and Anderson — also a member of the Compton Crips — were part of a crew that was involved in an altercation with Shakur and his entourage in the lobby of the MGM Grand on September 7th, 1996 after the Bruce Seldon vs. Mike Tyson boxing fight over allegations that Anderson had stolen a Death Row affiliate’s chain.
Just hours later, Shakur was fatally shot in a drive-by shooting. After being taken to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada and put on life support, he remained in the ICU until September 13th, when he died from internal bleeding at the age of 25.
Though police identified Anderson as a suspect, he denied involvement and was never charged. He was later killed in an unrelated gang shooting two years later.
In the 2019 memoir Compton Street Legend, Davis admitted to being in the car that pulled up to Shakur and Suge Knight.