Tupac Shakur Death: Former Gangster Charged With American Rap Star's Murder After 27 Years

The arrest of Duane "Keffe D" Davis is a major break in the case of the drive-by shooting of Tupac Shakur in 1996.

In 1996, Shakur was shot in a drive-by.

Source : Getty

New Delhi: A prosecutor announced that a former gang leader Duane Davis had been charged with murder in the 1996 shooting death of artist Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas. This is the most recent twist in a long-running case that has captured the public's attention ever since the untimely death of a 25-year-old artist. Authorities in Las Vegas said they detained Davis on Friday morning.

Tupac Shakur, a legendary figure in hip-hop, was inducted as a pioneering artist into the Hip Hop Hall of Fame in 2002 and was nominated for six Grammys. 

On the evening of September 7, 1996, Tupac Shakur was a passenger in a BMW that was being driven by Marion "Suge" Knight, one of the co-founders of Death Row Records. Shots were fired at the car from a passing white Cadillac. After being shot four times in the incident, Shakur passed away at the age of 25. Yafeu Fula, a witness to the drive-by who was in the vehicle behind Shakur's at the time, was also killed, and detectives have been unable to solve the case since then.

The inquiry has led to the arrest of Duane "Keffe D" Davis, who was on the scene of the drive-by shooting that killed Tupac Shakur on the Las Vegas Strip in 1996.

Two officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed Davis's detention, but the nature of the accusations against him has not been made public. 

Davis was taken into custody early Friday morning near his Las Vegas residence. He is expected to make an appearance in court in the coming days. 

There has been no public announcement about the arrest from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Reuters reported that they could not verify the story independently since neither Davis nor his attorneys could be reached for comment.