2Pac‘s murder case continues to take more twists and turns as a witness has claimed that Orlando Andersonwasn’t the triggerman, contrary to popular opinion.
Anderson’s uncle, Duane “Keefe D” Davis, was arrested last week in connection with the late rapper’s death, marking the first time charges have been made in the long-unsolved case.
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Davis, a former South Side Compton Crip, has been charged with “murder with the use of a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang,” according to court documents obtained by HipHopDX.
Prosecutors say the motive for the killing was “retribution” against 2Pac, who along with his entourage had attacked Anderson in the lobby of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas hours before he was shot on September 7, 1996.
They claim that Davis was in the car from which the drive-by shooting occurred along with Orlando Anderson (a.k.a. Baby Lane) and two other men, Terrence “Bubble Up” Brown and Deandre “Big Dre” Smith. He allegedly handed the murder weapon to one of Anderson or Smith who were sat behind him in the backseats.
While it has long been believed that Anderson was the one who fired the shots, an affiliate of the South Side Compton Crips testified in the weeks leading up to the indictment that it was Smith, not Anderson, who killed 2Pac.
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“When [Davis] passed the firearm to Orlando, Orlando didn’t have a clear shot,” the witness told a Las Vegas grand jury, per 8 News Now. “Big Dre is six-six. At this time he’s 370, 400 [pounds]. He’s big.
“And you’re not going to be able to lean over a big guy like that and get — I mean, my time of knowing things, doing — you’re not going to reach over like that because shells would have been popping all in Big Dre’s face and all kind of stuff. He can’t bend down or anything, he’s too big.”
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When asked if Smith was the shooter, the gang affiliate told the jury: “He did the shooting.”
The witness also accused Keefe D — the only suspect in the case who is still alive — of ordering the hit, saying: “Keefe is the one who’s going to make all the arrangements and all the plans until that gun goes into somebody else’s hand.”
Keefe D — who has openly discussed his role in 2Pac’s murder in various interviews and documentaries, as well as his 2019 book Compton Street Legend — denied that Deandre Smith was the shooter during an interview with The Art of Dialogue in July.
“How do you feel about the people that feel like Big Dre, he shot 2Pac?” the interviewer asked. “‘Cause you did make a confession some years ago and you said that you gave the gun to Big Dre, but he got cold feet so Orlando, he ended up snatching the gun and shooting 2Pac.”
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“Nah, big dawg. Nah,” Keefe D responded while throwing his hands up in frustration.
“Them dudes was kids, man. Both of them dudes was kids back then,” he added. “Dre was an All-CIF basketball player. He had a nice shot, dunking, all that shit. Dre was an athlete. He wasn’t about that.”
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“So he didn’t pull the trigger?” the interview probed, to which an exasperated Keefe D replied: “Man! We already discussed that! What, you trying to get me in jail again?!”
Davis, 60, is being held without bail and expected to appear in court on Wednesday (October 4) for his arraignment.
