A pivotal piece of evidence emerged Thursday in the murder trial of Duane "Keffe D" Davis, as jurors in Clark County District Court heard the defendant describe in his own words how his nephew pulled the trigger in the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur.
The audio recording, captured during a 2008 interview with Los Angeles police detectives, features Davis stating that Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson fired the fatal shots at the 25-year-old hip-hop superstar. Davis, now 63, acknowledged he was present in the vehicle during the drive-by shooting but said Anderson, who had been dead for a decade at the time of the interview, was the shooter.
According to the recording played in court Thursday, August 20, 2026, Davis recounted how a white Cadillac carrying himself, Anderson, and two other men pulled alongside a vehicle transporting Shakur and Death Row Records head Marion "Suge" Knight. The positioning of the cars proved critical to what happened next.
"If we would have been on my side, I would have blasted," Davis said in the recording, according to NPR. Instead, Knight's car was on the opposite side, prompting Davis to pass his weapon to Deandre "Big Dre" Smith in the back seat. When Smith refused the gun, Anderson took it and opened fire, Davis stated.
The courtroom at the Regional Justice Center remained silent as the audio played, with jurors watching a transcript scroll across a screen. Some took notes while members of Shakur's family sat motionless, occasionally glancing at the display or looking toward the floor.
This 2008 conversation marked the first occasion Davis directly discussed his role in the shooting with law enforcement. Prosecutors have built their case largely on Davis' own statements, including this police interview, podcast appearances, and his 2019 memoir "Compton Street Legend," which he co-authored. During opening statements, prosecutors told jurors they would rely heavily on these admissions.
The defense has challenged the credibility of these statements. Davis has entered a not guilty plea, and his attorney has characterized the prosecution's account as "fiction," asserting that Davis was "full of crap" when recounting his involvement and that investigators were aware of this. The defense argues that authorities failed to corroborate Davis' claims with physical evidence.
Adding complexity to the case, Davis previously told the FBI that Anderson was not involved in the 1996 shooting and speculated that either Knight or Sean "Diddy" Combs might have been responsible.
The 2008 interview occurred under unusual circumstances. Los Angeles police detectives Daryn Dupree and Greg Kading had brought Davis in to discuss the 1997 killing of the Notorious B.I.G., Shakur's archrival, not the Shakur case. Davis had briefly been considered a suspect in that still-unsolved murder before being ruled out.
"Everybody was a suspect at that time," Dupree testified in court Thursday, according to NPR.
During the recorded conversation, detectives assured Davis the discussion would remain confidential. "Nothing you say today can be used against you," Kading told Davis in the audio, according to NPR. Kading later detailed the interview in a book he published several years afterward.
Some courtroom observers shook their heads upon hearing the assurance that "nothing leaves this room," NPR reported. Another detective added that if Davis chose to remain silent, that would be acceptable, but cautioned about speaking publicly later.
Prosecutors contend that Davis violated any confidentiality agreement when he began publicly discussing the shooting a decade later through interviews and his memoir. They argue this public disclosure nullifies any protection he may have received during the 2008 conversation and other recorded discussions with law enforcement.
The state's theory of the crime centers on retaliation. Prosecutors allege the shooting was revenge for an attack on Anderson by Shakur's entourage hours earlier at the MGM Grand, following a Mike Tyson fight. Davis attended the boxing match but was not present during the altercation involving his nephew.
Later that evening, according to Davis' account in the recording, the group spotted Shakur in a black BMW with bystanders calling out the rapper's name. After Anderson fired the shots, Davis said he believed Knight had been killed as well.
Shakur's death came as his career was reaching new heights. The cultural icon, recognized as one of the most influential and versatile rappers in history, was simultaneously building a promising film career. His legacy has continued to expand in the three decades since his death, cementing his status in popular culture.
