Duane “Keffe D” Davis, born in Watts, California, is a former commander of the South Side Compton Crips gang.
He describes himself as a “hardened gangster” who ascended through the ranks to become a “shot caller” in the gang.
He gained public attention for his alleged involvement in the unsolved drive-by shooting that killed Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996.
He died six days later, on September 13, from four gunshot wounds. For nearly 27 years, his murder remained unsolved, with no arrests made.
Finally, on September 23, 2023, a guy called Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis was caught and charged with one count of murder with a deadly weapon. Davis has pleaded not guilty.
His trial starts on Monday, August 17, in Clark County, Nevada. Here’s all you should know about Duane “Keffe D” and his connection to Tupac Shakur.
Who Is Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis?
Davis, now 63 years old, was a former member and commander of the Los Angeles street gang South Side Compton Crips.
His connection to Tupac’s murder stems from the killing of another rap singer, Biggie Smalls, who was killed in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles a few months later, on March 9, 1997.
Davis was questioned by the Los Angeles Police Department after Biggie’s case was revived in the mid-2000s, as he had been to a party with Biggie shortly before his murder.
Keffe D told LAPD authorities in interviews conducted in 2008 and 2009 that he did not have information on Biggie, but that he did have information on Tupac’s murder, explaining in a proffer session (where information exchanged could not be used against him) that he was in the car that killed Tupac.
“I sang because they promised I would not be prosecuted,” Davis said in his book, Compton Street Legend.
However, Las Vegas police later indicated that Davis’s agreement with the LAPD was null and void as he began making more public statements regarding Tupac’s death in media interviews, including writing about it in his co-authored 2019 novel Compton Street Legend.
After years of examining Davis’ claims and connections to Tupac’s murder, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department raided his residence on July 17, 2023.
They found “a desktop computer, a laptop, 40 ink cartridges, a copy of the book Compton Street Legends, a copy of a Vibe magazine issue on Tupac, two tubs of photographs and other documents,” CBS News reported.
Davis was eventually captured outside his home on September 28, 2023. He has been in jail since his arrest.
Why is Duane Davis accused of arranging Tupac’s death?
Davis has spoken with authorities and made public statements to the media about his role in Tupac’s murder.
In his memoir, Davis revealed that his nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, was the one who shot Tupac from a white Cadillac, denying that he was the shooter.
Davis was in the car with Anderson and three others. (Davis is the only person still alive from the white Cadillac.)
Davis’ claim that his nephew Anderson was the one who took the shots was also confirmed during his 2008 LAPD interview.
Compton Street Legend provided additional information, detailing what occurred on the night of Shakur’s murder.
“Tupac made an erratic move and began to reach down beneath his seat,” he said. “Pac pulled out a strap, and the pyrotechnics started. One of my guys in the rear seat seized the Glock and began firing back.”
He also told BET’s Death Row Chronicles about the incident: “I’m keeping it for the code of the streets. “It just came from the back seat, brother.”
What Has Duane Davis Said About the Case?
Davis insisted on his innocence in an interview from jail with FOX5 Vegas before his trial.
He told the site, “I wasn’t in Las Vegas” on the night Tupac was murdered. He said, “They can’t prove it either.”
Davis also claims that he did not write the memoir that has been the focus of the investigation.
“I did not author the book. “That was written by a ghostwriter,” he explained, adding that he released it to “make some money for my family.”
He also discussed his 2008 interview with the LAPD, saying, “My lawyer gave me a script to read.” He stated that’s the only way you’re going to get home. “So I read the script.”
Davis went on to say that he will do all it takes to defend his innocence.
“If I don’t win in this court, I’ll win in the next level,” he added, adding, “If I have to, I will.”
What do we know about the evidence in Duane Davis’ trial?
Michael Sanft, Davis’ defense counsel for his August 2026 trial, attempted to get two main sources of evidence declared inadmissible for his forthcoming trial.
The first is a memoir he co-wrote called Compton Street Legend. According to the Associated Press, Sanft claimed that Davis’ book was dramatized “to make a profit,” and that it was unclear which chapters, if any, Davis truly wrote.
The second was Davis’ police interviews from 2008 and 2009, which Sanft said were confidential. However, Judge Carli Kierny determined that both can be utilized.
According to Marc DiGiacomo, Clark County’s chief deputy district attorney, “Had he decided to never write the book, he would not, probably, have ever been prosecuted for the crime.”
