Suspect in Tupac Shakur’s killing called it ‘the biggest case in Las Vegas history’ during his arrest, video shows
CNN, KVVU
By Taylor Romine, Dave Alsup and Kaylene Chassie, CNN
(CNN) — Duane Davis, accused in the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, called it “the biggest case in Las Vegas history” during his arrest, police body camera footage shows.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department footage was obtained by CNN affiliate KVVU.
Davis, 60, was arrested last week, accused of arranging Shakur’s shooting on September 7, 1996. Davis appeared in court for the first time Wednesday, when a judge delayed his arraignment for at least two weeks, after Davis said his defense attorney needed that much time to be present.
Davis, known as “Keffe D,” was expected to be arraigned on a charge of murder with use of a deadly weapon in a gang-related homicide.
Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said this week Davis is being held without bail.
Reached by phone Wednesday, Edi Faal, Davis’ Los Angeles-based personal attorney, declined to comment on the case but indicated he is working to assist his client in obtaining local representation in Nevada.
Shakur, 25, was shot as he left a boxing match on the Las Vegas Strip. His killing cut short his prolific career and the decades-long mystery around it helped to cement his status as a leading figure in the history of hip hop.
‘I ain’t worried’
In the initial moments of the arrest shown on the video, an officer is seen exiting a police vehicle on a residential street and telling a man, “Hey, Keffe, Metro Police, come over here. Thanks buddy. Come over here. I appreciate your cooperation, OK?”
Davis is taken to a vehicle where it appears he puts his phone and a water bottle down on the hood and says he was out for a walk, the footage shows. After officers put cuffs on his wrists and ankles and put him into the vehicle, the footage cuts to Davis being taken to a different police car at a different location.
An officer asks him, “So, what they got you for man?”
Davis responds: “Oh, man, the biggest case in Las Vegas history.”
Officer: “Oh, yeah?”
Davis: “Yeah.”
Officer: “Like recent?”
Davis: “September 7th, 1996.”
Officer: “Oh, no s**t. Wow. That’s a long time … That’s a long time away.”
Davis: “You know what I’m talking about?”
“I ain’t worried, but I didn’t do s**t,” Davis is heard saying in the back of the car. Davis and the officer then talk about when police raided his home in July, with Davis saying a SWAT team conducted the raid.
Davis: “At least they didn’t make no big a** scene like they did last time.”
Officer: “They didn’t make a scene like last time?”
Davis: “No, they made a big a** scene. Three SWAT units. … There were a bunch of walkie talkies in the house behind me. Saw people over the gate.”
The footage ends when the officer and Davis arrive at their destination and get out of the car.
CNN has reached out to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police to get a copy of the body camera footage.
Davis has placed himself at the scene of the crime for years, stating publicly he was in the front seat of a white Cadillac when it pulled up alongside Shakur’s car and shots rang out from the back seat. Shakur was shot four times and died six days later.
Authorities have cast Davis as the alleged ringleader of the plot to kill Shakur, which they contend was retaliation for an attack on Davis’ nephew that stemmed from a broader conflict between two gangs in Compton, California.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
CNN’s Dakin Andone and Andi Babineau contributed to this report.
