Tupac Shakur‘s brother, Mopreme Shakur, has claimed that the rapper’s killing remained unsolved for 27 years due to his race.
The iconic rapper was murdered in 1996 after being shot in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas. Last week, Duane “Keffe D” Davis was arrested in Nevada and charged with ordering Tupac’s murder in 1996, marking a major breakthrough in the case.
In an interview with Sky News, the rapper’s brother said that he believes that had Tupac been white, his murder would have not gone unsolved for so long. “Pac was a young black male and we have challenges in this country when it comes to equal justice,” he said.
He continued: “That’s just the nature of the beast, it’s just the nature of the beast in America. I’m realistic about that.”
Speaking about the arrest that had been made in correlation to the murder, Mopreme said : “I was shocked, surprised, and taken aback because it’s been so long.We haven’t heard anything in 27 years. My daughter is 27 years old, so any accountability is good at this point.”
Shakur died at the age of 25 on September 13, 1996, several days after he was shot on September 7. He was targeted in Las Vegas as he was leaving the Mike Tyson-Bruce Seldon fight at the MGM Grand and was en route to a nightclub with Death Row Records co-founder Suge Knight.
A white Cadillac pulled up next to the pair’s vehicle on the passenger side and an unidentified gunman fired 14 shots. Shakur was hit four times, later dying from his injuries.
The suspect is a former member of the gang Compton Crips and uncle of the late Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, the latter of whom was previously identified as a suspect in Shakur’s murder but was never charged with any crimes. Anderson was killed in a shooting in 1998.
Davis has been known to investigators for some time and has admitted both in interviews and his 2019 memoir Compton Street Legend that he was in the Cadillac from which the shots were fired 27 years ago. He has also said he is one of the last living witnesses to the shooting.
In July, Las Vegas police raided the home of Davis’ wife. Documents said that they were looking for items “concerning the murder of Tupac Shakur” and police later reported collecting multiple computers, a cellphone and hard drive, a Vibe magazine that featured Shakur, several .40-caliber bullets, two “tubs containing photographs” and a copy of Compton Street Legend.
Las Vegas Chief Deputy District Attorney Marc DiGiacomo described [via AP] Davis as the “on-ground, on-site commander” who “ordered the death” of Shakur.
“It has often been said that justice delayed is justice denied,” District Attorney Steve Wolfson added in a statement to AP. “In this case, justice has been delayed, but justice won’t be denied.”
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