Tupac Shakur Murder Suspect Indicted Nearly Three Decades After Hip-Hop Icon's Shooting Death

In a long-awaited breakthrough, one of the last living witnesses to the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur, who was widely viewed as one of the most influential and successful rappers of all time, has been indicted on suspicion of murder. 

A Nevada grand jury indicted Duane "Keffe D" Davis in the shooting, prosecutors announced Friday. CBS Las Vegas affiliate KLAS confirmed news of the indictment, which was first reported by The Associated Press.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Marc DiGiacomo, who said a grand jury had been seated in the case for "several months," described Davis as the "on-ground, on-site commander" who "ordered the death" of Shakur.

The charges were revealed hours after Davis, 60, was arrested Friday morning while walking near his home, according to DiGiacomo. 

Tupac, born June 16, 1971, in East Harlem, New York, was among the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 75 million records worldwide.

Davis' Memoir Leads To Indictment

Davis disclosed in his 2019 memoir that he first broke his silence in 2010 with federal and local authorities when he was facing life in prison on drug charges. He said he agreed to speak with them about Tupac’s murder as well as the fatal shooting six months later of Tupac’s rap rival, Biggie Smalls, also known as the Notorious B.I.G.

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Shakur and rap rival Biggie Smalls, who was fatally shot in March 1997, were involved in the infamous East Coast-West Coast hip-hop feud.

No one has ever been charged for Biggie's murder though it has long been believed that both killings were connected to their rivalry.  

“They offered to let me go for running a ‘criminal enterprise’ and numerous alleged murders for the truth about the Tupac and Biggie murders,” Davis wrote. “They promised they would shred the indictment and stop the grand jury if I helped them out.”

Greg Kading, a retired Los Angeles police detective who spent years investigating Shakur’s murder and even wrote a book about it, said he’s not surprised by Davis’ arrest, especially after his own revelations in his memoir that included descriptions of his role in Tupac’s shooting.

“It’s those events that have given Las Vegas the ammunition and the leverage to move forward,” Kading said. “Prior to Keffe D’s public declarations, the cases were unprosecutable as they stood.”

Photo: Shutterstock