It has been one of the most enduring mysteries in rap music, spawning myriad theories and conspiracies for close to three decades: who killed Tupac Shakur?
The rapper was shot dead in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in September 1996 at the age of 25 - and until now, nobody has been charged with his murder.
Over the weekend, Nevada police arrested Duane “Keffe D” Davis, who is one of the last living witnesses to Shakur's death. He wrote a book in 2019 called 'Compton Street Legend', which claimed that he was in the Cadillac when the shots that killed Shakur were fired.
Davis's wife's house was raided in July, where police seized items including computers, a cellphone, a hard drive, a magazine that featured Shakur, bullets, two “tubs containing photographs,” and a copy of his book.
The 60-year-old - who was a childhood friend of late N.W.A. rapper Eazy-E and a member of the notorious South Side Compton Crips gang - was charged with Shakur's murder. He is the first person to be charged since the investigation began 27 years ago - with Nevada police officers referring to him as the "on-ground, on-site commander" and the "leader and shot caller." It is believed that his nephew Orlando Anderson - who himself was shot dead in 1998 - was involved in an altercation with the rapper and his entourage earlier on the night of the murder. Davis had previously suggested that Anderson was the man who fired the shots.
Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a press conference: "For 27 years the family of Tupac Shakur has been waiting for justice. While I know there’s been many people who did not believe that the murder of Tupac Shakur was important to this police department, I’m here to tell you that is simply not the case."
Davis has not yet commented on the charge.
