By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Senior National Correspondent
Authorities in Nevada have announced that they have indicted Duane Keith Davis on one count of murder with the use of a deadly weapon and with intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang in the shooting death more than 25 years ago of hip hop icon Tupac Shakur.
Davis, whom prosecutors said described himself as a shotcaller, allegedly ordered the rap legend’s murder and the attempted murder of Death Row Records mogul Marion “Suge” Knight, who was riding with Shakur along Las Vegas Boulevard during that fateful night. Surprisingly, prosecutors acknowledged they were in possession of all of the primary evidence since 1996.
“What was lacking was admissible evidence to establish this chain of events that occurred that night,” Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney Marc DiGiacomo started.
Authorities rekindled the investigation earlier this year when officials disclosed that they executed a search warrant on David, known as Keffe D, breathing new life into the quest for justice surrounding the rap star’s shooting.
The resurgence of the case followed the June announcement by federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York, revealing charges against a third individual in the 2002 shooting death of Run-DMC star Jam Master Jay.
Authorities in New York said the indictment of Jay Bryant, 49, marked a significant breakthrough in the case involving the late Jason Mizell, professionally known as Jam Master Jay.
Bryant’s indictment builds upon the prior charges against Ronald Washington and Karl Jordan Jr. in August 2020, as authorities said they have tirelessly pursued leads to unravel the mystery behind the murder of the influential hip-hop icon.
Tragically, Jay was shot in the head in his recording studio in Jamaica, New York, on October 30, 2002.
His death, occurring several years after the murders of Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G., all which sent shockwaves through the music industry.
The 25-year-old Shakur was traveling in a black BMW driven by Knight, the founder of Death Row Records, as part of a convoy of about ten cars, supposedly en route to a nightclub following the Mike Tyson versus Bruce Seldon championship fight at the MGM Grand.
The police confirmed that no other occupants were in the car at the time.
At an intersection near the Las Vegas Strip, while the BMW sat at a red light, a white Cadillac carrying four individuals pulled up alongside it. That’s when one of the occupants opened fire, unleashing a barrage of bullets into the passenger side of Knight’s car.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Shakur sustained four gunshot wounds, at least two of which hit his chest.
A bullet fragment grazed Knight himself or shrapnel from the vehicle.
Following the attack, Shakur was rushed to a hospital, where he battled for six days before succumbing to his injuries.
