Prosecutors have accused former gang leader Duane “Keffe D” Davis of orchestrating the 1996 drive-by shooting that killed legendary rapper Tupac Shakur, as his murder trial opened in Las Vegas.
Although prosecutors acknowledge that Davis did not fire the fatal shot, they allege he planned the attack as retaliation after his nephew was beaten during a confrontation involving members of Tupac’s entourage.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal told jurors that Davis’ own memoir contained details about the night of the shooting that prosecutors say support their case.
Davis, 63, has pleaded not guilty and denies orchestrating the killing. His lawyers described the prosecution’s account as “fiction” and questioned why the case remained unsolved for nearly three decades.
The trial has taken jurors back to the world of 1990s hip-hop rivalries, gang conflicts and distrust of police, factors prosecutors say contributed to the lack of cooperation that stalled the investigation.
One of the prosecution’s first witnesses, former Las Vegas police officer Garry Dale, testified that he travelled with Tupac in an ambulance after the shooting. According to his testimony, the wounded rapper declined to identify his attackers, saying, “We’ll take care of it.”
Tupac was shot in Las Vegas in September 1996 and died several days later from his injuries. The case remained unsolved for decades before Davis was arrested and charged.
BBC
