According to the Associated Press, the 1996 murder trial of Duane “Keffe D” Davis is scheduled to begin on Aug. 10, bringing new scrutiny to the unsolved killing of hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur nearly three years after Davis was arrested in 2023. Davis, 63, pleaded not guilty to orchestrating the Las Vegas drive-by shooting that killed Shakur at age 25 and wounded music mogul Marion “Suge” Knight.
The September 1996 Shooting Near the Las Vegas Strip
Police and prosecutors state that the Sept. 7, 1996, shooting stemmed from a fierce music industry rivalry between East Coast members of a Bloods gang sect and West Coast members of a Crips sect led by Davis in Compton, California. Shakur was riding in the passenger seat of a black BMW driven by Knight when a white Cadillac pulled alongside them, and gunfire erupted, according to law enforcement records. Shakur died a week later, while Knight survived the attack after being grazed by a bullet or shrapnel.
Inside the White Cadillac: Occupants and Conflicting Grand Jury Testimony
Four individuals occupied the white Cadillac on the night of the shooting: Duane Davis, Terry “Bubble Up” Brown, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, and Deandrae “Freaky” Smith. According to grand jury testimony and Davis’s 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend, the shooting was retaliation for an MGM Grand casino brawl earlier that night involving Shakur, Knight, and Anderson, whom Davis described as his nephew.
While law enforcement long suspected Anderson of firing the fatal shots, grand jury testimony from former associate Denvonta Lee challenged that theory. Lee told the grand jury that Smith actually shot Shakur and Knight after Anderson could not secure a clear line of fire. Anderson died two years later in an unrelated Compton car wash shooting, Smith died of natural causes in 2004 at age 30, and Brown was killed in a 2015 shooting at a medical marijuana dispensary in Compton, according to the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.
Key Figures and Musical Legacies
At the time of his death, Shakur was a dominant force in rap music, with five No. 1 albums, six Grammy nominations, and roughly 5 million copies sold of his album All Eyez on Me. Born Lesane Parish Crooks in New York in 1971 to Black Panther Party activists Afeni Shakur and Mutulu Shakur, his siblings Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur and Maurice “Mopreme” Shakur have publicly criticized authorities for delays in bringing charges in the case.
Co-occupant Marion “Suge” Knight founded Death Row Records, the label representing Shakur in 1996. Now 61, Knight is currently serving a 28-year prison sentence in California following a 2015 conviction for running over and killing a Compton businessman, marking a dramatic downfall from his peak in the music industry.
Did you know? Duane Davis wrote in his 2019 memoir that he and Suge Knight played on the same youth football team in Compton as children before running rival record labels and gang factions years later.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the trial of Duane “Keffe D” Davis begin?
According to court schedules cited by the Associated Press, the jury trial for Duane “Keffe D” Davis is set to begin on Aug. 10.
Who was driving the car from which Tupac Shakur was shot?
Terry “Terry Tyrone Brown” Brown, also known as Bubble Up, was driving the white Cadillac, according to investigative records and Davis’s memoir.
What happened to the other occupants of the white Cadillac?
According to police and coroners, Orlando Anderson died in an unrelated shooting, Deandrae Smith died of natural causes in 2004, and Terry Brown was killed in a 2015 shooting.
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