Tupac Shakur’s family reacts to Keffe D’s conviction nearly 30 years later

Dorcas Agambila 06:19 - 02 September 2026

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Rapper Tupac Shakur after his performance at the Regal Theater in Chicago, in March 1994. Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

The family of late American rapper Tupac Shakur has welcomed the conviction of Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis over the 1996 killing, describing the verdict as a long-awaited moment of relief after nearly three decades of uncertainty.

Tupac Shakur’s family has welcomed Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis’ conviction, describing the verdict as a long-awaited moment of relief after nearly 30 years.
Davis, 63, was found guilty of murder in connection with Tupac’s 1996 killing and could face life in prison when he is sentenced on 13 October 2026.
The identity of the person who fired the fatal shots remains unresolved, as prosecutors argued that Davis helped organise the attack and supplied the gun rather than pulling the trigger himself.

A Las Vegas jury found Davis, 63, guilty on 31 August 2026 after deliberating for less than three hours. He was convicted of murder with the use of a deadly weapon and of committing the offence with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang.

Davis faces a possible life sentence and is scheduled to be sentenced on 13 October 2026.

In a statement released on 1 September, the Shakur family paid tribute to Tupac’s mother, Afeni Shakur, whose unwavering belief in her son remained central to their pursuit of justice.

The family said they were “elated and relieved by today’s verdict”, while commending the jury for carefully considering the evidence presented during the trial.

They also expressed gratitude to Tupac’s supporters, friends, marshals and advocates who remained involved in the search for answers throughout the nearly 30-year case.

Despite celebrating the conviction, the family indicated that their work surrounding Tupac’s legacy would continue, pledging to preserve his memory and the impact of his music.

Tupac was shot in a drive-by attack near the Las Vegas Strip on 7 September 1996 while travelling in a BMW with Death Row Records co-founder Marion ‘Suge’ Knight.

The rapper was struck several times and died from his injuries six days later. He was 25.

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Davis, a former member of the South Side Compton Crips, was later identified by prosecutors as a key figure in the events leading up to the shooting.

However, prosecutors did not allege that Davis was the person who fired the fatal shots. Instead, they argued that he helped organise the attack and supplied the firearm used in the shooting.

Authorities have maintained that the shooter was either Davis’s nephew, Orlando ‘Baby Lane’ Anderson, or another person inside the vehicle involved in the attack.

Anderson, who had previously denied involvement, died in 1998 without ever being charged in connection with Tupac’s murder.

Davis’s conviction marks the most significant legal development in the long-running investigation into Tupac’s death.

While the verdict provides a measure of closure for the rapper’s family, it does not definitively establish who pulled the trigger.

For the Shakur family, however, the conviction represents a significant step towards accountability in a case that has remained one of hip-hop’s most enduring mysteries.