Man charged with murder in Tupac Shakur’s 1996 drive-by shooting death

Twenty-seven years after the drive-by shooting death of rapper Tupac Shakur on the Las Vegas Strip, an arrest has finally been made. A Nevada grand jury indicted Duane “Keffe D” Davis on one count of murder with a deadly weapon, Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney Marc DiGiacomo announced in court Friday.

Police reported collecting multiple computers, a cellphone and hard drive, a Vibe magazine that featured Shakur, several .40-caliber bullets, two “tubs containing photographs” and a copy of Davis’ 2019 tell-all memoir, “Compton Street Legend.”

Davis has been tied to the case for decades and has admitted he was in the car during Shakur’s drive-by shooting. Davis described the events in “Compton Street Legend” and has said he’s spoken with authorities about the case over the years.

Shakur is considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. His death at the age of 25 in 1996, which came amid a feud with New York rapper Notorious B.I.G., who would be slain just a few months later, rocked the nation and has been the basis for countless conspiracy theories. 

The case had long been dormant but became active again in July when police raided the home of Davis’ wife in Henderson, Nevada. An arrest and conviction could help disentangle the mystery that has plagued fans for nearly 30 years.

Shakur was born in New York City but moved to California, the state he is most closely associated with, as a teenager in the late 1980s. While living in Marin City, Shakur attended Tamalpais High School, where he is remembered as an engaged student with a fondness for Shakespeare. The recent Hulu docuseries “Dear Mama” featured riveting footage from his early high school performances.

He also lived in Oakland for a period of time, and it was in the East Bay city that his rap career began to gain steam. Oakland passed a resolution in May to rename a portion of MacArthur Boulevard, where the rapper once resided, to Tupac Shakur Way.

With songs like “California Love” and friendships with other California rap icons like Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, Tupac tied himself forever to the Golden State. But the connection also fed into the East Coast vs. West Coast feud between Shakur and Notorious B.I.G., which contributed to the deaths of two of the most influential rappers of a generation. 

Rio Yamat and Ken Ritter of the Associated Press contributed to this report.

This breaking news story has been updated.