Suspect accused of killing rapper Tupac Shakur falls 27 years later

A former gang leader has been charged with the 1996 shooting death of rapper Tupac Shakur in the US city of Las Vegas, a prosecutor announced Friday.

Duane "Keffe D" Davis was indicted by a grand jury in Nevada, prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo told a court. "There is a strong presumption that he is responsible for the murder of Tupac Shakur, and he will be found guilty of murder with the use of a deadly weapon," he said.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police arrested a man this Friday in connection with the murder of American rapper Tupac Shakur in September 1996.

The house of the arrested man in Henderson was searched in July as part of the investigation carried out by police authorities in order to clarify the shooting that ended the life of the musician 27 years ago, as reported by CNN.

Tupac's gold ring with diamonds auctioned for more than a million dollars

In November 1994, Shakur was already the victim of another shooting when two men assaulted the rapper in the middle of the street, shot him five times and robbed him. He survived that event - which left him with two head injuries - and accused several notable rappers such as Biggie Smalls and P.Diddy of being behind that assault.

Tupac Shakur died at the age of 25 and, despite his youth, is considered one of the most important and influential rappers in the history of rap. His songs were characterized by denouncing social problems of the time. He began his career in music in January 1991 and, among his successes, songs such as 'Changes', 'Old School' or 'So Many Tears' stand out.

Police search a home linked to the murder of rapper Tupac Shakur in 1996

In July 2018, Duanne Keith David, a gang member better known by the nickname Keffe D, claimed to know the identity of the murderer of American rapper Tupac Shakur, who was shot to death in September 1996 in the Las Vegas metropolitan area.

The confession was made within the framework of the documentary 'Unsolved: the murders of Tupac and Notorious BIG'.

There the man revealed that he was inside the car where the shots were fired that ended Shakur's life.

Brief but forceful

Shakur, the most successful hip-hop artist with 75 million albums sold and author of songs like "California Love," was shot dead in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in September 1996.

Shakur had a brief but dazzling career, quickly going from supporting dancer to self-proclaimed gangsta rapper and one of the most influential figures in hip-hop.

Although he was born in New York, as a teenager he moved with his family to California, becoming one of the most identifiable figures on the West Coast scene.

The circumstances of the death remain unclear. Six months after his murder, his rival, East Coast rapper Christopher "The Notorious BIG" Wallace, was also shot and killed.

Many believe they were murdered as part of a rivalry between their respective record labels, Los Angeles-based Death Row and New York-based Bad Boy Entertainment.

But some music historians say the coastal crack was exaggerated for commercial reasons.

Shakur, whose mother Afeni was active in the Black Panther movement and named him after Tupac Amaru, a revolutionary Inca chief, used his lyrics to highlight issues facing African Americans, from police brutality to mass incarceration.

With information from Reuters and AFP.