Tupac’s Murder Solved but Gang Life Continues

I was shocked. I almost started crying. The murder of beloved rapper Tupac Shakur has been solved in Las Vegas. Police have arrested and prosecutors have charged Duane “Keefe D” Davis with the murder of Shakur that occurred in September of 1996.

While this is certainly great news, who killed Biggie Smalls and why are too many Black Americans fascinated with gang life are still questions that need answers. Street codes in America prevent justice from being served in most cases as the body counts pile up in urban areas around the nation. The Black American community is being decimated of young men because of street violence.

Las Vegas police said during their press conference to announce charges that Davis, was the person who gave an order to kill Shakur. It came after the rapper and Suge Knight beat a man named Orlando Anderson in a Las Vegas casino on the night of a Mike Tyson fight. It was a simple retaliation hit, basically some dumb gang and male ego shit, that has proliferated in Black American communities for far too long and continues today.

A break in the case came earlier this year during a raid at Davis’ home. A few years ago, Davis, now 60, for whatever reason, stupidly admitted during an interview to being in the vehicle where the fatal shots came from that killed Shakur and injured Knight. By Nevada law, any person who is in a vehicle and that vehicle is then used in the commission of a crime, in this case a homicide, can also be charged. Davis was described by police as a leader and shot-caller of the South Side Compton Crips.

Although there was a total of four people involved in Shakur’s murder, police said three of the other suspects are deceased. Terrence "Bubble Up" Brown, believed to be the driver of the vehicle. DeAndre "Freaky" Smith and Anderson who were both in the back seats. Anderson was the nephew of suspect Davis. Anderson was killed two years after Shakur’s death in Compton, California and many believe he was the one who pulled the trigger since he had been jumped earlier in the night.

All of the suspects were members of the same Los Angeles street gang, according to police. Davis was in the front seat of a white Cadillac in which the fatal shots came from on that September night near the famous Las Vegas strip. He has admitted in interviews and in his book “Compton Street Legend,” to being in the vehicle and would only say that the gunfire came from the backseat of the vehicle he was riding in. Davis was arrested earlier today while taking a walk outside his home in Henderson, Nevada.

The murder of Christopher “Biggie” Smalls in Los Angles came six months after Shakur’s death. Smalls was killed after leaving an awards ceremony, also in a car he was riding in, just like Shakur. No arrests have been made in that case, but many people believe he was the victim of a retaliatory hit for Shakur’s murder.

"Many people who did not believe the murder of the Tupac Shukar was important to this police department, I am here to tell you: that was simply not the case," Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a news conference Friday afternoon.”

You are correct Sheriff seeing that Davis admitted to federal agents and local police about his involvement 13 years ago, when he was facing life in prison on drug charges. Davis said he agreed to cooperate with investigators at the time to save his own butt, which begs the question from the public, what kind of deal did law enforcement give him where they were willing to sacrifice 13 years of justice in Shakur’s case?

This news will ease the minds and give some relevance of hope to many people around the world. Shakur continues to be considered one of the greatest hip-hop artists in history. However, the case in Smalls’ murder is still open, which means there is more work that needs to be done.