The man who photographed rapper Tupac Shakur just moments before his death opens up about that fateful and tragic moment. Jonathan Gonzalez reports for the NBC4 News at 6 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 24, 2026.
What to Know
- Closing arguments are set to being Monday in the trial of Duane "Keffe D" Davis, the only person to ever face trial in the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur.
- Prosecutors called two dozen witnesses to the stand, including former law enforcement officers, the man who snapped the last photo of Shakur before the shooting, and a former Mob Piru member.
- Prosecutors also relied heavily on Davis’ public interviews and 2019 memoir.
- Defense attorneys called three witnesses to the stand and argued that Davis fabricated or embellished his accounts of the killing for money and notoriety.
- Davis isn't accused of firing the gunshots that killed Shakur at age 25, but prosecutors argued that he orchestrated the killing.
More than two dozen witnesses provided testimony this month before defense attorneys rested their case in the murder trial of Duane “Keffe D” Davis in the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur.
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WATCH HEREThe long-awaited trial is headed to closing arguments, scheduled for Monday in a Nevada courtroom where the defense called three former Las Vegas police officers to testify Thursday as their final witnesses.
After closing arguments and jury instructions, the panel of 10 women and six men could begin deliberations in the only criminal trial in the killing of the hip-hop icon. The presentation of evidence ended after nine days of testimony.
Davis, 63, described as a gang shot-caller, did not take the stand. He isn't accused of firing the gunshots that killed Shakur at age 25 in 1996, but prosecutors argued that he orchestrated the killing in response to a brawl earlier that night involving Shakur, his entourage and Davis' nephew.
Shakur, in Las Vegas for a heavyweight fight between Mike Tyson and Bruce Seldon at the MGM Grand, was riding in a BMW on Sept. 7, 1996, when a white Cadillac pulled up next to it at a red light near the Las Vegas Strip and gunfire erupted. Shakur was shot multiple times and died six days later. The driver of the BMW, Marion “Suge” Knight, survived.
Years later, Davis said he procured the gun and his nephew, who has since died, fired the shots.
Davis faces life in prison if convicted of murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang. He pleaded not guilty.
Defense attorney Michael Sanft has argued that Davis fabricated or embellished his accounts of the killing for money and notoriety and that investigators failed to independently corroborate his claims.
Key testimony from defense witnesses
Three witnesses were called by the defense to testify. Retired Las Vegas homicide detective Dan Long, the defense’s final witness, testified that he tried unsuccessfully to verify several details Davis provided during a 2009 police interview.
Davis told Long that his nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, had gone to a Las Vegas hospital after being beaten by Shakur and others in a casino brawl hours before the rapper was fatally shot. Long said he was unable to find hospital records confirming Anderson was treated there.
Long also tried unsuccessfully to locate records for a white Cadillac that Davis said had been rented before the shooting.
Asked by a juror whether he had been able to verify that Davis was actually in the Cadillac the night Shakur was killed, Long said Davis himself told him he was in the car and that the shooting came from it.
On follow-up questioning by Sanft, Long acknowledged he had no independent facts outside of what Davis told him confirming he was in the Cadillac.
Prosecutors countered that Davis’ account matched information already developed by investigators. On cross-examination, Long testified that Davis identified the same four men investigators already believed were in the Cadillac when Shakur was shot.
Long also said he returned to Las Vegas after interviewing Davis in 2009 intending to seek an arrest warrant for murder because he believed there was probable cause, but prosecutors at the time told him to stand down while they reviewed the matter.
The defense also called two former Las Vegas police officers who were assigned to keep the peace at Knight's home on the night of the shooting. They testified about vehicles entering and leaving the gated residence, including a cream- or white-colored Cadillac.
Key testimony from prosecution witnesses
The case remained unsolved for decades before Davis’ public interviews and 2019 memoir helped revive scrutiny of the killing. Those elements were key parts of the prosecution's case over the course of the Nevada trial
Prosecutors rested Wednesday after calling 24 witnesses.
On Wednesday, prosecutors played short clips of Davis’ YouTube interviews, during which he implored viewers to buy his book for what he referred to as “the real truth.” In one clip, Davis shared harsh words about Shakur and the attack at the MGM Grand.
Prosecutors also played a clip from earlier in the trial when Davis appeared to mouth words toward a witness testifying about the rivalry between Death Row Records and Bad Boy Entertainment.
Among the final prosecution witnesses to testify was a former Compton gang detective who characterized Davis as a high-ranking “shot caller.” Davis' ultimate authority meant younger gang members would not have opened fire on Shakur with Davis present unless he allowed it, said Robert Ladd, a former Compton police officer who investigated gang homicides in the southern Los Angeles County community.
Ladd described Davis as a leader of the South Side Compton Crips who could order younger members to act. Ladd testified that Shakur's shooting triggered a 10-day war in Compton between the South Side Crips and Mob Piru, resulting in three killings and 10 attempted murders.
Asked Tuesday who would have been the leader among the four men in the Cadillac, Ladd answered, “Mr. Davis.”
Defense attorney Michael Sanft emphasized the lack of physical evidence supporting that theory. Ladd acknowledged that, aside from Davis’ own admissions, he had no physical evidence placing Davis in Las Vegas that night and no phone records showing Davis ordered the shooting.
Other witnesses called by the prosecution included former law enforcement officers, including the first to respond to the scene of the shooting; the man who snapped what is believed to be the last photo of Shakur before the shooting; and a former Mob Piru member who helped Knight with security. Jurors also heard audio of Davis’ previous interviews.
