Jurors hear ‘Keffe D’ say his nephew fired fatal shots at Tupac Shakur in 1996 drive-by shooting

Jurors hear ‘Keffe D’ say his nephew fired fatal shots at Tupac Shakur in 1996 drive-by shooting 1 of 5 | Duane Davis appears in court during his murder trial, related to the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, in Clark County District Court at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026. (Steve Marcus/Pool Photo via AP) 2 of 5 | Rapper Tupac Shakur attends a voter registration event in South Central Los Angeles, Aug. 15, 1996. (AP Photo/Frank Wiese, File) 3 of 5 | Denvonta Lee responds to a question from Michael Sanft, attorney for Duane Davis, during Davis’ murder trial, related to the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, in the Clark County District Court at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026. (Steve Marcus/Pool Photo via AP) 4 of 5 | Defense attorney Michael Sanft questions a witness during the Duane Davis murder trial, related to the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, at Clark County District Court at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026. (David Becker/Pool Photo via AP) 5 of 5 | Duane Davis, left, listens to his attorney Michael Sanft during Davis’ murder trial, related to the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, in Clark County District Court at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026. (Steve Marcus/Pool Photo via AP By JESSICA HILL Updated 1:46 AM MESZ, August 21, 2026 Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Las Vegas (AP) — Jurors on Thursday heard Duane “Keffe D” Davis tell detectives in 2008 that his nephew Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson fired the shots that killed Tupac Shakur. Davis, who said in the interview that he was also in the car with Anderson is accused of orchestrating the 1996 killing of the 25-year-old hip-hop superstar in Las Vegas. At the time of the interview, his nephew had been dead for a decade. Davis said the white Cadillac he and Anderson were riding in with two other men pulled up alongside a car with Shakur inside, along with hip-hop mogul and Death Row Records head Marion “Suge” Knight. “If we would have been on my side, I would have blasted,” Davis said. Instead, Knight’s car was on the other side, so Davis passed his gun back to Deandre “Big Dre” Smith. But Smith didn’t want it, Davis said. Anderson, who was also in the back seat, took the weapon and started firing, Davis said. Jurors watched the screen as the transcript of the audio recording rolled. Some occasionally took notes. At the beginning of the audio interview, Davis and his attorney whispered to each other. Shakur’s family sat still, occasionally looking at the screen or looking down to the floor. The room was quiet as Davis described the shooting. It was the first time Davis directly discussed his involvement in the killing with authorities. The interview is essential evidence in the state’s case against the 63-year-old Davis. Prosecutors told jurors in opening statements that they would lean heavily on Davis’ own admissions in interviews with police and on podcasts, as well as the 2019 memoir he co-wrote, “Compton Street Legend.” Tupac Shakur was killed in Las Vegas in 1996. Here’s who was there that night 4 MIN READ 14 Judge allows use of police interview in trial for man accused of killing Tupac Shakur 3 MIN READ 300 After nearly 30 years, a man is on trial in the fatal shooting of Tupac Shakur. Here’s what to know 3 MIN READ 300 He also previously told the FBI that his nephew was not involved in the 1996 shooting of Shakur, and speculated that Knight or Combs were involved. Davis has pleaded not guilty. His lawyer has called the prosecution’s narrative “fiction” and said Davis was “full of crap” when he told stories of his involvement, and that authorities knew it. The Los Angeles police detectives had actually brought Davis in to talk about the 1997 shooting death of Shakur’s archrival, the Notorious B.I.G. Davis had briefly been one of the suspects in that still unsolved killing, but he was later discounted. “Everybody was a suspect at that time,” Daryn Dupree, one of the detectives in the interview, said in court testimony Thursday. The detectives tell Davis that their discussion is confidential. “Nothing you say today can be used against you,” said Greg Kading, the other detective conducting the interview who described it in a book a few years later. Some in the audience shook their heads when someone in the audio tells Davis that “nothing leaves this room.” Dupree adds, “If you don’t say nothing, it’s cool, but if you go out there and start talking …” Prosecutors say Davis did in fact “go out there and start talking” a decade later when he told stories about the shooting in interviews and the memoir. They said that nullifies any agreement he had with law enforcement over this and other recorded conversations. Prosecutors allege Shakur was killed to avenge Shakur’s entourage attacking Davis’ nephew Anderson a few hours earlier at the MGM Grand after a Mike Tyson fight. Davis was at the fight but not the brawl. Later in the evening, they were in the Cadillac and saw Shakur hanging out of a black BMW with people calling out “Tupac!” He said that after Lane fired the shots, he thought Knight was dead. Decades after his death, Shakur remains a cultural icon, and one of the most influential and versatile rappers of all time. He died as his popularity was peaking and his film career as an actor was taking off. His legend has only grown in the years since. Associated Press Writer Rebecca Boone contributed from Boise, Idaho and AP Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton contributed from Los Angeles.