Tupac in March 1994.Photo:Raymond Boyd/Getty
Raymond Boyd/Getty
On the night of the fatal shooting, Shakur had attended aMike Tysonheavyweight match at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas along withMarion “Suge” Knight, who had signed Shakur to his label Death Row Records in the fall of 1995. Later that evening, when Shakur and Knight were driving to Knight’s Las Vegas nightclub, they were shot at multiple times while stopped at a red light. Shakur sustained multiple injuries and died six days later on Sept. 13, 1996.
The gunman in the shooting has never been identified, and Shakur’s death remains one of the mostinfamous unsolved murdersin music history. Nearly three decades later, the search for answers continues — with authoritiesexecuting a search warrantin July 2023 as part of the investigation into Shakur’s homicide.
Most recently, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Departmentarrested a suspect in connection to Shakur’s murderon Sept. 29, 2023. Duane “Keffe D” Davis wascharged with one count of murderwith a gang enhancement. His arrest marks the biggest breakthrough in the cold case in nearly 27 years.
Here is a closer look at what happened when Tupac Shakur died, as well as the legacy he left behind.
How did Tupac Shakur die?
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The bullets that hit Shakur in the chest caused life-threatening injuries and extensive internal bleeding, theLos Angeles Timesreported. The rapper underwent surgery to remove his right lung at Las Vegas' University Medical Center and was on a respirator in intensive care for six days before he died from his injuries.
The official causes of Shakur’s death were respiratory failure and cardiopulmonary arrest associated with multiple gunshot wounds.
When did Tupac Shakur die?
Where did Tupac Shakur die?
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Shakur died at University Medical Center in Las Vegas after being shot while driving down Las Vegas Boulevard.
How old was Tupac Shakur when he died?
The rapper was 25 years old at the time of his death.
What were Tupac Shakur’s last words?
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Despite Shakur’s response to Carroll, Las Vegas Police Department detective Dan Long believes that both Shakur and Knight knew the assailant.
“My belief is they both knew,” he told PEOPLE in 2017. “The cars were two or three feet apart when the shooting occurred. Tupac was the passenger, [and] he would have been right up against him in an extremely well-lit part of town.”
Long also tried to interview Knight during the initial investigation, but Knight refused to speak. Knight is currently serving a prison term for unrelated charges.
How did the public react to Tupac Shakur’s death?
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But the most common theory is that Shakur’s death was gang-related, particularly since Shakur’s label Death Row Records and its founder Knight were associated with the L.A. gang Mob Piru (who were sworn enemies of the Compton Crips). An LAPD source even told PEOPLE in 2017 that Shakur’s murder was “gang retaliation.”
Shakur signed to Death Row Records in the fall of 1995 after Knight helped bail the rapper out of jail. (He was serving a 4½-year sentence after being convicted of sexually abusing a 19-year-old fan.) Shakur signing with Knight automatically made him an enemy of the Crips, according to the LAPD source.
“It was simple retaliation: you mess with one of ours, we will mess with one of yours,” the source told PEOPLE. “If Orlando had never been jumped in the hotel, they never would have killed Tupac that night.”
Additionally, in the weeks following the rapper’s deadly shooting, a wave of gang violence ensued in L.A. that informants told police was retaliation for Shakur’s murder, theLos Angeles Timesreported.
What legacy did Tupac Shakur leave behind?
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Shakur is widely considered to be one of history’s most talented and influential rappers, withRolling Stonedeclaring him one of the 100 greatest artists of all time in 2010. The late rapper was alsoinducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Famein 2017,honored with a street named after himin Oakland, California, andawarded a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Famein 2023.
“Tupac knew deep down that he was always meant for something great, and as his little sister, I had the privilege to watch that greatness unfold,” his sister Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur saidat Shakur’s Walk of Fame ceremonyin June 2023.
Shakur also inspired a generation of future rappers, includingEminem,Meek Mill,Lil’ Wayne,DrakeandKendrick Lamar. “Every rapper who grew up in the Nineties owes something to Tupac,” rapper 50 Cent wrote inRolling Stone. “He didn’t sound like anyone who came before him.”
Shakur’s death also sparked a slew of documentaries, films and even musicals about his life. The documentary filmTupac: Resurrectionpremiered in November 2003 and was nominated for an Academy Award, a Broadway musical featuring the late rapper’s music calledHoller If You Hear Medebuted in June 2014, aTupac biopic calledAll Eyez on Mewas released in June 2017 andDear Mama, an FX docuseries about Shakur’s life and career, premiered in April 2023.
Shakur’s family has also honored his legacy in a variety of ways in the years since his death. His mother, Afeni Shakur Davis,launched the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundationin 1997, initially as a way to bring “quality arts training to young people.” Since her death in 2016, the foundation has been focused on addressing mental health and trauma through education, therapeutic resources and creative arts.
Has anyone ever been charged with Tupac Shakur’s murder?
Anderson — the member of the Crips who had an altercation with Shakur on the day of his death — was widely considered the prime suspect in his murder. He was arrested in October 1996 in a gang violence raid, according to theLos Angeles Times, but only questioned for 20 minutes and released two days later.
Though Anderson was never charged in Shakur’s death, Shakur’s mother, Afeni, filed a wrongful death suit against the gang member in September 1997. An affidavit filed with the lawsuit alleged that Anderson was seen carrying a Glock .40-caliber handgun — the same type of weapon used to kill Shakur — shortly after the rapper’s death, according to theLos Angeles Times. Anderson was killed in an unrelated gang shootout in May 1998.
On July 18, 2023, a search warrant was executed on a Henderson, Nevada, home that was “part of the ongoing Tupac Shakur homicide investigation,” a spokesperson with the Las Vegas Metro Police Department told PEOPLE.
According to theLos Angeles Times, the home belonged to gang member Duane Keith Davis, a.k.a. Keffe D. Police seized .40-caliber cartridges, computers, iPads, an iPhone, a hard drive, photos and other materials from Davis’ home.
Davis wrote a book calledCompton Street Legend, in which he claims that he was a passenger in the white Cadillac that shot at Shakur and Knight in 1996, theTimesreported. He also states in the book that he is the uncle of Anderson, and that Anderson — along with two other individuals — was in the car as well on that infamous evening.
source: people.com
