Jada Pinkett Smith, who was one of late rapper Tupac Shakur‘s best friends, has spoken out in the wake of a suspect being arrested in connection to his 1996 murder.
Yesterday, a grand jury indicted Duane Keith “Keffe D” Davis on charges of murder with use of a deadly weapon in connection with the 1996 killing of the rapper, Las Vegas authorities said. David was arrested on Friday morning in Las Vegas, they added.
His wife’s home in Henderson was searched in July as part of the ongoing investigation into the shooting.
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Taking to Instagram, Pinkett Smith posted a simple message on a black background, reading: ”Now I hope we can get some answers and have some closure. R.I.P. Pac,” adding a white dove emoji.
The actress had known Shakur since they met as students at Baltimore School of the Arts in Maryland. They formed a deep friendship, with Pinkett Smith describing Shakur as
In one interview, the 52-year-old described Shakur as a “brother” and “father figure” to her. “The type of relationship we had…you only get that once in a lifetime…” she tearfully added.
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Shakur was famously shot and killed sitting in his car when leaving a boxing match on the Las Vegas Strip, losing his life at just 25. His death sparked countless conspiracy theories and an almost three-decade-long investigation.
Davis has long admitted to being at the scene of the crime, claiming he was in the front seat of the white Cadillac that came up beside Shakur’s car when shots rang out from the back seat, killing the musician.
Jason Johansson, the police department’s homicide lieutenant, calls the murder a “retaliatory” attack linked to a conflict between two gangs based in Compton, California.
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Shakur and Marion “Shuge” Knight, the former CEO of Death Row Records, were affiliated with the Mob Piru gang in Compton, while Davis was affiliated with the Southside Compton Crips, said the lieutenant.
Earlier in the night, members of Death Row Records had spotted Davis’ nephew Orlando Anderson near an elevator bank inside the hotel where the boxing match was being held, beginning to kick and punch him. Shakur and Knight were both seen in the security footage from the fight.
Following the attack, Davis “began to devise a plan to obtain a firearm and retaliate against Suge Knight and Shakur,” according to Johansson.
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Davis allegedly then acquired a gun and got into a white Cadillac along with acquaintances Terrence Brown, Deandre Smith and Anderson.
“At some point in time, as they were in the white Cadillac, Davis took the gun that he had obtained and provided it to the passengers in the rear seat of the vehicle,” Johansson alleged in a statement, with the group then locating the black BMW in which Shakur and Knight were riding, and began shooting at them through the window before feeling the area.
The lieutenant continued to assert in his statement, “Duane Davis was the shot caller for this group of individuals that committed this crime. He orchestrated the plan that was carried out to commit this crime.”