Duane Keffe D Davis has gone on trial in Las Vegas charged with murder over the 1996 shooting of rapper Tupac Shakur, 30 years after the crime occurred.
The 63-year-old defendant faces a potential sentence of life imprisonment if convicted of murder with a deadly weapon and of acting to promote or assist a gang, according to the Associated Press. Davis has declared himself innocent of the charges.
Although prosecutors do not accuse Davis of being the gunman who fired the fatal shots, they allege he planned the street attack as an act of revenge. Prosecutor Binu Palal told the court that the shooting followed an assault on Davis's nephew, Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson, earlier that evening.
Statements and evidence presented in court
During the opening session, the prosecution presented statements made by Davis over the course of several years. Palal said Davis admitted to law enforcement that he was present in Las Vegas on the night of the shooting and described handing a firearm to men in the rear seat of a white Cadillac, who then opened fire on the vehicle carrying Shakur.
The defense rejected the prosecution's account, characterizing it as fiction. Defense lawyers argued that no concrete evidence supported Davis's previous statements and strongly criticized the police investigation, citing missing documents, procedural flaws, and unverified witness statements.
The night of the 1996 drive-by shooting
Shakur was shot on September 7, 1996, while riding in a BMW with Marion "Suge" Knight after attending a boxing match in Las Vegas. The 25-year-old rapper died six days later from his injuries.
According to investigators, three other men were inside the white Cadillac alongside Davis at the time of the attack. All three of those individuals have since died.
Witness testimony and trial timeline
On the first day of proceedings, witnesses recounted the events of that evening and described the initial difficulty law enforcement officers faced in locating individuals willing to speak with investigators.
The trial in Las Vegas is expected to last approximately one month. Prosecutors plan to call between 35 and 45 witnesses to testify during the proceedings.
Shakur remains an influential figure in the global music industry decades after his death. During his career, the recording artist earned six Grammy Award nominations.
