This September will mark the 30th anniversary of Tupac Shakur‘s violent death in Las Vegas, and little is known for sure about what actually happened that day. More than two decades later, Duane “Keefe D” Davis was eventually arrested for the murder in 2023 and is awaiting trial. In order to learn more, attorneys for Maurice Shakur, Tupac’s stepbrother, have filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Los Angeles alleging a “complex conspiracy to murder Tupac that involved much more than mere retaliation for a prior altercation.”
“Many individuals who were involved have long since passed way, while others have been hard to identify,” reads the suit obtained by Rolling Stone. “Yet, one thing is certain: there remain individuals who were involved in Tupac’s murder who, for 30 years, have not been held accountable for their crimes. This action seeks to change that and to recover damages for the wrongful death of Tupac.”
The suit cites recent grand jury testimony connected to Davis’ arrest, and the recent Netflix documentary Sean Combs: The Reckoning, which contains a recording from a police interview where Davis purportedly claims that Combs offered him $1 million to murder Tupac. The allegation has been furiously denied by Combs, who called the Netflix documentary a “shameful hit piece.”
The lawsuit lists 99 unnamed co-conspirators they wish to gather information on through the discovery process. “While the investigation and public record have revealed the names of certain individuals who may have participated in or facilitated the murder,” reads the complaint, “the specific nature and extent of each individual’s involvement—and the identities of additional individuals who may have participated in planning, financing, directing, or carrying out the conspiracy—remain unknown.”
This legal action is completely separate from the criminal case against Davis, who is currently imprisoned at Nevada’s High Desert State Prison due to jailhouse fight convictions. His trial is scheduled to begin on August 10, 2026.
Prosecutors believe that Davis was in the white Cadillac that pulled up next to Shakur’s car on September 7, 1996, near the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and hit him four times with gunfire. He has pleaded not guilty.
But in his own memoir, Compton Street Legend, Davis bragged about his involvement with the crime. “Tupac made an erratic move and began to reach down beneath his seat,” Davis wrote, describing the moment his car pulled up alongside the rapper. “It was the first and only time in my life that I could relate to the police command. ‘Keep your hands where I can see them.’ Instead, Pac pulled out a strap, and that’s when the fireworks started. One of my guys from the back seat grabbed the Glock and started bustin’ back.”
