The trial of Duane Davis, 63, accused of orchestrating the 1996 shooting that killed rapper Tupac Shakur, opened in Las Vegas, Nevada. In opening statements, prosecutor Binu Palal asserted Davis was behind the revenge plot that led to the hip-hop legend's death.
The prosecutor said Davis, a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips gang, masterminded the shooting of Shakur, known as 2Pac, in retaliation for an earlier beating of Davis's nephew. Davis is charged with one count of murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, assist, or further criminal gang activity. The defendant has pleaded not guilty.
According to the indictment, Davis was described as the “field commander” in the shooting near the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The incident stemmed from a brawl at the MGM Grand hotel in September 1996, when Shakur and his entourage attacked Davis's nephew. Tensions between Los Angeles gangs—the South Side Compton Crips and Mob Piru—are considered the root cause.
Prosecutors contend Davis prepared firearms and handed them to two others in the back seat of a white Cadillac to track down Shakur and Death Row Records CEO Marion “Suge” Knight. When they pulled alongside, the suspects opened fire, striking Shakur four times; he died in the hospital six days later. Knight suffered a minor head wound from shrapnel.
The trial is expected to last up to six weeks before Judge Carli Kierny. The jury was selected last week. A key potential witness is Marion Knight, who is serving 28 years for voluntary manslaughter in an unrelated case.
Defense attorney Michael Sandt argued that after 30 years, investigators still have little evidence to support the charge. “Ultimately, you have to ask yourselves: Is what they say truth or fiction?” Sandt told the jury.
Authorities said Davis had long been a prime suspect, but lacked enough evidence to prosecute until he incriminated himself through a series of recent public statements. Those statements were also cited by prosecutors as part of the case.
Tupac Shakur's death at age 25 is seen as a historic turning point in rap music, amplifying the violent reputation of 1990s gangsta rap culture and deepening the East Coast–West Coast rivalry among artists at the time.
