Opening statements have begun in the murder trial over the 1996 killing of iconic rapper Tupac Shakur, with prosecutors telling a Las Vegas jury that the drive-by shooting was carried out as an act of revenge.
Shakur was 25 when he was shot four times after a Mike Tyson boxing match on September 7, 1996.
He died six days later from his injuries, leaving behind a legacy that cemented his place in hip-hop history while his killing remained one of the most high-profile unsolved cases in the US for nearly three decades.
According to BBC, former gang leader Duane "Keffe D" Davis, 63, now faces a murder charge in connection with Shakur's death.
Prosecutors allege that although Davis did not fire the fatal shots, he orchestrated the attack in retaliation for a brawl involving Shakur and his nephew, Orlando Anderson, earlier that night.
"Let's be clear, Duane Davis did not pull the trigger. But he did plan the shooting in retaliation of the beating of his nephew," Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal told the court. "Remarkably, you will learn that from Duane Davis himself."
The prosecution's case relies heavily on Davis's own public statements, including his 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend. In the book, Davis wrote that he was inside the white Cadillac carrying the shooter and admitted to handing the weapon used in the killing to Anderson.
Anderson, who denied involvement in the shooting, was killed in an unrelated shooting in 1998.
Prosecutors described Davis as the "on-ground, on-site commander" of the South Side Compton Crips and alleged that he ordered the attack after spotting Shakur and Death Row Records co-founder Marion "Suge" Knight travelling in a convoy.
Defence attorney Michael Sanft rejected the prosecution's account, describing the case as "fiction" built on a flawed investigation spanning decades. He argued that parts of Davis's book were exaggerated to boost sales and questioned the credibility of the evidence.
"What facts do they have after 30 years?" Sanft asked the jury, arguing that investigators had relied on people with criminal records and inconsistent accounts.
The trial's opening witness, former Las Vegas police officer Garry Dale, recalled riding in an ambulance with the mortally wounded rapper, who refused to identify his attacker. Dale testified that Shakur simply said, "We'll take care of it."
Witness Ingrid Stokes also recalled the moments surrounding the shooting, saying her vehicle was trailing Shakur's car when gunfire erupted.
"We were head down, taking our seat belts off, when we heard the gunshots," Stokes testified. "All hell broke loose."
The trial is expected to continue over the coming weeks, with investigators, experts and other witnesses expected to testify.