Davis Trial Offers Clues in Tupac's Death

The trial of Duane "Keffe D" Davis for the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur is scheduled to commence on August 10th. Davis, aged 63, stands accused of orchestrating the drive-by shooting near the Las Vegas Strip.

This fatal incident occurred on September 7, 1996, when a Cadillac pulled alongside Shakur's BMW and opened fire, also wounding music mogul Marion "Suge" Knight. Police and prosecutors suggest the motive was a rivalry between Bloods and Crips gang factions.

Authorities have long suspected Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson, Davis' nephew, of firing the shots. Anderson was reportedly beaten by Shakur and his associates shortly before the shooting, an event Davis claims provided the "green light" for retaliation.

However, testimony from a former associate suggests Deandrae "Freaky" Smith, also in the Cadillac's back seat, may have been the shooter. Terry "Bubble Up" Brown was driving the Cadillac, and Davis was also present in the vehicle.

Many individuals connected to the event have since died. Orlando Anderson died two years after Shakur in an unrelated shooting. Deandrae Smith passed away in 2004 from natural causes, and Terry Brown died in a 2015 shooting. "Suge" Knight is currently serving a prison sentence for a separate incident.

Davis, who has pleaded not guilty, wrote in his 2019 memoir that he and Knight were the "only living eyewitnesses" to the events. The murder weapon has never been recovered, and the car used in the shooting remains unidentified.