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Duane “Keffe D” Davis told detectives in a 2008 interview that his nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, fired the shots that killed Tupac Shakur.
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Davis said he was inside the white Cadillac with Anderson and two other men when they pulled alongside Tupac’s vehicle.
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The recording was played to jurors on Thursday as prosecutors presented evidence in the murder trial.
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Davis is accused of orchestrating the 1996 killing and has pleaded not guilty.
August 21, (THEWILL) — Duane “Keffe D” Davis told detectives that his nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, fired the shots that killed Tupac Shakur.
The claim was heard by jurors on Thursday, August 20, during the fourth day of Davis’ murder trial in Nevada. Prosecutors played audio from a 2008 police interview in which Davis spoke about the shooting.
Davis, 63, is accused of orchestrating the September 1996 shooting that killed Shakur in Las Vegas. He has pleaded not guilty and could face life in prison if convicted.
In the recording, Davis said he was in a white Cadillac with Anderson and two other men when they pulled up beside a black BMW carrying Shakur and Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight.
Davis said he had the gun at first but passed it to the back seat after seeing that Knight’s car was on the other side.
He told detectives that another passenger, Deandre “Big Dre” Smith, refused to take the gun before Anderson took it.
Davis then said Anderson opened fire on Shakur’s car.
The shooting happened several hours after Shakur and members of his Death Row group got into a fight with Anderson at the MGM Grand following a Mike Tyson boxing match.
Prosecutors say the fight led to the shooting later that night.
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Earlier on Thursday, Denvonta Lee, who said he was a member of the South Side Compton Crips in the 1990s, also testified.
Lee spoke about tensions between the Crips and the Mob Piru gang, which was linked to Death Row Records.
He told the court about an earlier fight at Lakewood Mall in Los Angeles, where a Death Row chain was reportedly stolen.
Prosecutors say the incident helped lead to the later fight involving Anderson and, eventually, Tupac’s shooting.
The 2008 interview is an important part of the prosecution’s case because it contains one of Davis’ earliest recorded accounts of what happened.
The interview was originally part of an investigation into the 1997 murder of rapper Christopher Wallace, known as The Notorious B.I.G.
Davis was told at the time that his statements would not be used against him.
Prosecutors now argue that Davis later broke the terms of the agreement by speaking publicly about the shooting and co-writing his 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend.
Davis’ lawyer has argued that his client made up or exaggerated stories about the killing for money and attention.
The defence has described the prosecution’s case as “fiction.”
Anderson had been a major suspect in Tupac’s killing but was never charged. He also denied being involved in Shakur’s death.
He was killed in a separate gang shootout in Compton on May 29, 1998, at the age of 23.
His death came less than two years after Tupac was killed, meaning he never faced questions in court over the rapper’s death.
Davis’ account is now being examined by jurors as prosecutors seek to prove his role in the killing.
Davis is the only person charged in connection with Tupac’s murder, nearly 30 years after the rapper was killed.
Evi-Ben Ezaga is an entertainment and society writer with a passion for stories that explore culture, people, and the stories shaping society today.
