Tupac Shakur murder trial begins as fans seek justice
Tupac Shakur fans gather at a Las Vegas courthouse as opening arguments begin in the murder trial nearly 30 years after his death.
Duane Keith “Keffe D” Davis’ trial for the murder of Tupac Shakur is unveiling the hip hop legend’s final moments and the findings of his autopsy.
Several witnesses have taken the stand since the trial began on Monday, Aug. 17, answering key questions in the decades-old case. Shakur was struck in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas on Sept. 7, 1996, alongside Marion “Suge” Knight, who survived.
At the time, the rapper was signed to Knight’s Death Row Records, which was associated with the Bloods gang, while Davis was a leader of the rivaling South Side Crips. Prosecutors believe Davis provided the gun and called for the shots as an act of retaliation after Shakur and Knight beat up Davis’ nephew, also a Crips member, earlier that night.
Tupac Shakur’s last words revealed at trial
First to testify was Garry Dale, a retired Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officer who was working the Las Vegas Strip on Sept. 7, 1996 and pulled Shakur and Knight over for lacking a visible rear license plate that night. He let them go with a warning, and they were shot minutes later.
Dale then rode in the ambulance with Shakur on the way to the hospital, during which he heard Shakur speak some of his last words: “No, we’ll take care of it.”
“I was trying to talk to him to find out what had happened, gather information to see who had fired at them,” Dale testified. “He was still talking, and I was trying to convince him to tell me the name of whoever his assailants were.”
Dale said Shakur repeated “we’ll take care of it” a “couple times,” but “I couldn’t get him to talk to me any further than that.” Shakur died six days later.
Tupac Shakur autopsy details fatal gunshot wounds
On Tuesday, Aug. 18, forensic pathologist and Clark County medical examiner Dr. Lisa Gavin gave her testimony, as photos of Shakur’s body during his autopsy were shown to jurors but not included in the public broadcast.
Gavin gave her expert analysis of the autopsy, explaining that the bullet that killed Shakur entered through his right armpit area and went through a lung into his chest. In the images, Shakur’s famous “Thug Life” chest tattoo could be seen.
Shakur’s lung ultimately collapsed and began bleeding and was later removed by doctors during emergency surgery. Gavin said Shakur was also struck in the right thigh, with the bullet traveling into his abdomen and damaging his intestines.
When asked by the jury, Gavin said Shakur did not have any wounds to the head and she did not know if the bullets were all the same caliber. “He died of gunshot wounds of chest and abdomen,” she concluded.
Everything you need to know about the Tupac murder trial
Jury selection is taking place Monday, Aug. 10, marking the beginning of Duane “Keffe D” Davis’ trial for the 1996 murder of rapper Tupac Shakur.
Davis was indicted in September 2023 and is facing one count of murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang. He is the only person who has ever been charged in connection with the killing and has pleaded not guilty.
If convicted, Davis could be sentenced to life in prison.