Gunfire Erupts as Tupac's Family Leaves Courthouse During Trial
A shooting reportedly broke out near a Las Vegas courthouse Tuesday around the time Tupac Shakur's family was leaving for a lunch break during the murder trial of Duane "Keffe D" Davis, the man accused of orchestrating the rapper's 1996 killing.
The gunfire was reported outside the courthouse on the trial's second day, prompting a heavy police response in the area. Details on the shooting itself, including any injuries or arrests connected to it, were still emerging as of Tuesday afternoon, and authorities had not confirmed whether the incident was connected in any way to the ongoing trial.
A Difficult Day Inside the Courtroom
The shooting came during an already emotional stretch of testimony. Earlier that day, some of Shakur's family members stepped out of the courtroom before prosecutors showed autopsy photos from his death, while others chose to stay. Dr. Lisa Gavin, a forensic pathologist and medical examiner for Clark County, described Shakur's injuries and testified about his cause of death as jurors were shown images of his body, including a photo of the body bag in which he was found.
Shakur's cousin, Zayd Akinyela, told reporters he chose to remain in the courtroom because hearing the details helped him process his grief, particularly given how close he was to Shakur. Tupac's sister, Sekyiwa "Set" Shakur, was seen pausing outside the courthouse afterward, placing her hand over her heart as she thanked reporters for continuing to cover the case.
What the Trial Has Revealed So Far
Jurors were also shown MGM Grand surveillance footage from the night of the shooting, depicting a physical altercation in which a group of people were seen beating and kicking someone on the ground. Prosecutors allege that altercation, involving Davis' nephew, Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson, and members of Shakur's entourage following a Mike Tyson fight, set off the chain of events that led to Shakur's killing hours later.
Reggie Wright Jr., a former Compton police officer who ran security for Death Row Records, testified about escalating tension between Death Row and Sean "Diddy" Combs' Bad Boy Records in the months leading up to the shooting, following the release of Shakur's diss track "Hit 'Em Up." Wright said he had doubled Shakur's security detail after that release, though Shakur had only one guard with him the night he was shot on his way to a charity performance at Club 662.
Background on the Case
Davis, 63, faces a possible life sentence if convicted of murder with a deadly weapon carried out to promote a criminal gang. He has pleaded not guilty, and his attorney called the prosecution's version of events "fiction" in opening statements. Davis was arrested in September 2023 and has remained the only person ever charged in Shakur's killing, despite being one of several individuals identified as suspects in the years following the shooting. He has previously acknowledged in interviews and in his memoir, "Compton Street Legend," that he was in the vehicle from which shots were fired and that he provided the gun used in the shooting, while maintaining he did not pull the trigger himself.
Shakur died from his injuries several days after the September 1996 shooting near the Las Vegas Strip. Marion "Suge" Knight, then-head of Death Row Records, was driving the car Shakur was riding in at the time and was also injured in the attack.
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