Nearly 30 years after Tupac Shakur was shot on a Las Vegas street, a jury is finally being asked to decide who is responsible. Duane “Keefe D” Davis, a former South Side Compton Crips figure who spent years telling his version of that night in books, documentaries and interviews, is now the only person ever charged in the killing. His trial turns a case that lived mostly in rumor, retaliation and hip-hop lore into something a courtroom has to prove. Here are 25 things to know about the man, the case and what is actually at stake.

1. Duane “Keefe D” Davis is a former South Side Compton Crips figure charged in Las Vegas in the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur. Prosecutors say he helped plan and carry out the shooting that hit Tupac after a Mike Tyson fight. Davis has pleaded not guilty.
2. Tupac Shakur was shot on Sept. 7, 1996, while riding in a BMW driven by Death Row Records boss Marion “Suge” Knight near the Las Vegas Strip. Tupac died six days later at age 25. The killing became one of the most watched unsolved cases in hip-hop and Black American popular culture.
3. Davis has long been identified by police and investigators as the only surviving alleged occupant of the white Cadillac tied to the shooting. The other men commonly named in accounts of the car were Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, Terrence “Bubble Up” Brown and DeAndre “Freaky” Smith. All three are dead.
4. The South Side Compton Crips are a Los Angeles-area street gang with roots in Compton. Authorities have long described the group as a rival of Blood-affiliated circles connected to Death Row Records during the 1990s. Davis has been described in court and media accounts as a senior figure or “shot caller” in that world.
5. Orlando Anderson, Davis’ nephew, is central to the case. Hours before the shooting, MGM Grand surveillance video showed Anderson being attacked in a casino lobby by Tupac, Knight and others after the Tyson fight. Prosecutors have framed that fight as the spark for the later shooting.
6. The MGM Grand fight was reportedly tied to a prior dispute involving a Death Row chain (disputed). That backstory has appeared in police accounts and media reporting, but not every detail has been tested in open court. What is clear is that the casino fight placed Tupac’s group and Anderson’s group in direct conflict that night.
7. After leaving the MGM Grand, Tupac and Knight were in a black BMW headed toward a nightclub event. A white Cadillac pulled alongside the BMW near Flamingo Road and Koval Lane. Gunfire came from the Cadillac, striking Tupac multiple times and grazing Knight.
8. Davis has publicly said he was in the front passenger seat of the Cadillac that night. In past accounts, he said Brown drove, while Anderson and Smith were in the back seat. He has also described a gun being passed into the back seat before the shooting.
9. Prosecutors do not have to prove Davis personally fired the shots if they can prove he aided, abetted or helped orchestrate the murder under Nevada law. Their case is expected to focus on his alleged role as a participant in the vehicle and in the confrontation that led to the gunfire. The defense is expected to challenge both the reliability and legal meaning of his past statements.

10. Davis’ own public statements revived the case in a major way. In the 2018 BET documentary series “Death Row Chronicles,” he spoke about the shooting and placed himself in the Cadillac. He said he had been diagnosed with cancer and wanted to tell his version of the story.

11. In 2019, Davis published “Compton Street Legend,” a memoir that again discussed the Tupac shooting. The book described the events around Las Vegas, the MGM fight and the Cadillac. Prosecutors have pointed to the book as part of a pattern of admissions.

12. Davis also gave YouTube and podcast interviews in which he discussed the case. Some of those appearances were framed as street-history storytelling and hip-hop commentary. The prosecution says the repeated statements show knowledge and participation, while the defense says they were exaggerated for attention and money.

13. The immunity issue is one of the most important legal disputes (disputed). Davis has said he spoke to authorities under a proffer or immunity understanding in earlier law-enforcement interviews, and his defense has argued that some statements should not be used against him. Prosecutors have argued that any protection was limited and does not cover later public statements in documentaries, books or interviews.

14. The timing of that proffer issue is sometimes discussed alongside his 2018 media appearances, but public reporting has also described earlier law-enforcement interviews before 2018 (disputed). The exact scope and effect of any agreement is a court question. The judge’s rulings on what the jury can hear could shape the whole trial.

15. In July 2023, Las Vegas police searched a home in Henderson, Nevada, connected to Davis’ family. The search brought the long-dormant case back into public view. Authorities said they were looking for evidence tied to the Tupac homicide investigation.

16. In September 2023, a Clark County grand jury indicted Davis in connection with Tupac’s murder. The indictment marked the first time anyone had been charged in the killing. Davis was arrested and later appeared in court in Las Vegas.

17. Davis has fought for release on bail and house arrest while awaiting trial. A judge set bail conditions, but his release has been delayed or denied amid questions about the source of bond money and public-safety concerns. The defense has argued that Davis is older, has health issues and should be allowed to fight the case from home.

18. Prosecutors have raised concerns about jailhouse calls involving Davis (disputed). They have argued that some communications suggested possible witness-safety or compliance issues if he were released. The defense has disputed harmful interpretations of those calls.

19. The defense’s central public argument is that Davis’ confessions were not reliable courtroom admissions. His lawyers have suggested he was telling stories for entertainment, attention and income, especially in the book and media interviews. That argument asks jurors to separate street mythology from proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

20. The prosecution’s burden is not simply to show that Davis talked about the shooting. Prosecutors must corroborate the statements with independent evidence and prove the elements of the charge beyond a reasonable doubt. That could include video, witness testimony, prior statements, gang evidence and the known timeline from MGM to the shooting scene.

21. Orlando Anderson remains a key figure even though he cannot testify. He denied involvement before his death and was never convicted in the Tupac killing. Prosecutors are expected to argue that the MGM fight with Anderson triggered retaliation by the Cadillac group.

22. Suge Knight is another key figure because he was driving the BMW and survived the shooting. Knight has made public statements over the years, but his role as a potential witness is complicated by his own criminal history and incarceration. Any testimony from him would draw intense scrutiny from both sides.

23. Terrence “Bubble Up” Brown and DeAndre “Freaky” Smith are important because they were allegedly in the Cadillac. Their deaths mean jurors will not hear their live testimony. That leaves prosecutors relying more heavily on Davis’ statements, other witnesses and circumstantial evidence.

24. The case took nearly 30 years because cold homicide prosecutions are hard, especially when gang retaliation, distrust of police and celebrity attention all collide. It also took years for Davis’ public statements to become a usable path for prosecutors. The delay will likely be a major defense theme because memories fade and witnesses disappear.

25. A conviction would be a historic legal answer in one of hip-hop’s most painful unsolved killings. An acquittal would mean prosecutors failed to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt, not necessarily that every public claim about that night was false. Either outcome will leave larger questions about violence, policing, the music industry and the lives lost around Death Row’s peak years.

What to watch

Watch how the judge rules on Davis’ past statements, especially anything tied to immunity or proffer claims. Watch whether prosecutors can corroborate the public confessions with evidence that is strong enough for a jury decades later. Watch the bail and witness-safety issues, because they show how much the old street case still affects the modern courtroom.