Duane Davis’ 2008 Police Interview Details Night Tupac Shakur Was Killed

Jurors in the trial of Duane “Keffe D” Davis heard a recorded 2008 police interview Thursday in which Davis described the events surrounding the September 1996 shooting of rapper Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas.

Davis is accused of orchestrating Shakur’s murder. During the hours-long interview, Davis recounted what happened after a fight involving his nephew, Orlando Anderson, and members of Death Row Records at the MGM Grand.

According to the recording, Davis and his group later drove around Las Vegas before seeing Shakur in a vehicle. Davis said the group made a U-turn and pulled alongside Shakur’s car.

Davis told investigators that Terrence Brown was driving, with Davis in the front passenger seat and Deandre Smith and Anderson in the back.

Because Shakur’s vehicle was positioned on the opposite side, Davis said he handed a gun to Smith in the back seat.

Davis said several shots were fired, estimating about six. He also said he initially believed Death Row co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight had been killed after a bullet struck him in the head.

After the shooting, Davis said his group abandoned their vehicle at the Carriage House and left the gun on a tire before returning the following day to retrieve it.

“I ain’t never told nobody that story,” Davis said during the recorded interview.

The recording was made as part of a proffer agreement related to drug charges. Prosecutors argued that Davis later writing about the shooting and discussing it publicly negated protections provided by the agreement. The judge allowed the recording to be played for the jury.

Davis’ 2019 memoir, “Compton Street Legend,” contains a similar account but differs in key details. In the book, Davis said he placed the gun in the back seat before the shooting and claimed Shakur made a move before gunfire erupted.

In the police interview, Davis instead said he handed the weapon to Smith and did not say Shakur fired a gun or had one.

The recording also included Davis discussing gang dynamics and allegations that Sean “Diddy” Combs offered him $1 million to kill Shakur and Knight. Combs’ representatives have denied the allegations, saying Davis has acknowledged making claims for fame and notoriety.

Prosecutors are expected to play another recording from 2009 as the trial continues Friday.