LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: Duane 'Keefe D' Davis, 60, the prime suspect in the murder of rap legend Tupac Shakur, was arrested on Friday, September 29.
While the murder occurred 27 years ago outside a Las Vegas casino on September 7, 1996, Davis had long been flaunting his alleged involvement in the crime, boasting about his role and mocking law enforcement, claiming, "The police ain't gonna do s**t."
Duane 'Keefe D' Davis' wrote about Tupac Shakur murder
The South Side Compton Crips gang member, who openly admitted to providing the gun used in Tupac's drive-by shooting, had managed to evade legal repercussions for decades.
In addition, in his self-published 2019 memoir 'Compton Street Legend', Davis detailed the events surrounding the fateful night when he had gone to witness Mike Tyson's fight at the MGM Hotel.
Following the bout, an altercation unfolded involving Tupac, then-Death Row Records boss Marion 'Suge' Knight, and their alleged gang, the Mob Piru Bloods, who confronted Davis' nephew, Orlando 'Baby Lane' Anderson, at the hotel. This confrontation was captured on camera.
Meanwhile, Davis and his associates had assembled at a different location, and in his memoir, he recounts how members of the 118 East Coast Crips approached their group with the news that "some Death Row n—s jump on my nephew down by the casino.”
He wrote, “We couldn’t let no record company studio gangsters do us like that. They had lost their f—kin’ rappin’ ass minds? There was no need for words; we all understood why we were there. One of my guys from the back seat grabbed the Glock and started bustin’ back. As the rounds continued flying, I ducked down so that I wouldn’t get hit.”
What led to Duane 'Keefe D' Davis' arrest?
However, Davis' audacious attitude ultimately led to his downfall. A source said, "Keefe's foolish attitude got him in trouble and his lack of knowledge of the law may have cost him his freedom. Las Vegas Metro Police had not taken that much of an interest in the Tupac case for many years because they thought could not find compelling enough evidence to move forward," according to The Sun.
"But Keefe's own boasts and comments led to him becoming a person of interest for Metro and then detectives discussed with the DA whether those comments could help them seek a prosecution," they added.
Davis' repeated refusal to cooperate with the police and his dismissive attitude, as he reportedly told them "you ain't got nothing on me," played a pivotal role in authorities taking action against him.
"Keefe openly mocked the prospect of justice for many years when he felt that the police were never going to take action against him two decades after the killing, he almost went into hyperdrive talking and boasting about his role in the death," the source added.
"He'd be at parties and events and enjoying the limelight being considered the man who knew the secrets of how Tupac passed. When people would ask if he had fears of police taking action, Keefe would say 'The police ain't gonna do s**t,'" the source claimed, as per The Sun.
Duane 'Keefe D' Davis is the 'only living suspect'
Davis first publicly boasted about his involvement in Tupac's murder in 2018, naming his nephew Anderson as the alleged shooter. However, Anderson, who was shot to death two years after Tupac's death, consistently denied any role in the rapper's killing.
District Attorney Steve Wilson emphasized, "Under Nevada law you can be charged with a crime whether you are directly involved or whether you are an aider or an abettor. If you helped somebody commit a crime, you are equally as guilty.”
The arrest of Keefe D signifies a crucial development in the long-standing unsolved case, with authorities now considering him as the "only living suspect."
“For 27 years, the family of Tupac Shakur has been waiting for justice,” said Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill following the arrest. “While I know there have 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."
