The 60-year-old man arrested last week in the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur is set to appear Wednesday in court in Las Vegas to be arraigned on a charge of murder with use of a deadly weapon in a gang-related homicide.
Duane Keith Davis, known as “Keffe D,” is accused of orchestrating the shooting that cut short the life of the 25-year-old trailblazer, whose brief, prolific career cemented his legacy as one of the most influential hip-hop artists of all time. His untimely death added a grim layer to that mystique, and for years it had been the subject of conspiracy theories.
Shakur’s slaying also was the subject of a decadeslong investigation by police that culminated last week with Davis’ arrest following his indictment by a grand jury. He is the only suspect in the case still alive, police said.
For years, Davis has placed himself at the scene of the crime, stating publicly he was in the front seat of a white Cadillac when it pulled up alongside Shakur’s car and shots rang out from the back seat. Shakur was shot four times and died six days later.
Authorities have cast Davis as the alleged ringmaster of the plot to kill Shakur, which they contend was retaliation for an attack on Davis’ nephew, Orlando Anderson, that stemmed from a broader conflict between two gangs in Compton, California.
