Trial for man accused of killing Tupac Shakur underway

(NBC, KYMA) - Monday marked the first day of the murder trial of Duane "Keffe D" Davis for the killing of Tupac Shakur back in 1996.

"Duane Davis has repeatedly told us over and over again about the anger that he felt and his own role in the revenge drive-by shooting of Tupac Shakur," said Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal.

Prosecutors took jurors step by step through what they say led to the rap icon's murder during opening statements.

The state detailing gang rivalries and events before the deadly drive-by shooting on September 7, 1996, just off the Las Vegas Strip, including the beating of Davis' nephew Orlando Anderson hours earlier.

Jurors were shown hotel security video of the confrontation inside the MGM Grand after the Mike Tyson fight.

Prosecutors called the shooting revenge, pointing to Davis' own statements over the years as evidence of his role.

The defense, however, focused instead on the investigation.

Davis' attorney, Michael Sanft, questioned how investigators handled the case and if any evidence places his client in the car at the time of the shooting, asking jurors to separate fact from fiction.

"What you're gonna find is that the state cannot prove to you beyond a reasonable doubt the claim that he, Keffe, had anything to do with a first-degree murder," Sanft expressed.

After opening statements, the state calling it's first witness, retired Metro Officer Garry Dale, who testified that he stopped Shakur and Marion "Shug" Knight in their black BMW before the shooting, with the reason being there was no visible license plate.

Dale says he did not write a report. Later, he responded to the shooting and accompanied Shakur in the ambulance to the hospital.

"He was still talking and I was trying to convince him to tell me the name of whoever his assailants were," Dale detailed.

When asked if he responded, Dale said, "Yes. He responded, 'No, we'll take care of it.'"

Ingrid stokes also on the stand. She testified she and her friends came from california to party in Vegas that weekend.

They pulled alongside Shakur and Knight shortly before the shooting, stating a woman in their car knew Knight and started talking with him to follow them to a club.

Stokes described both men as calm.

Retired Metro Homicide Det. Brett Becker appeared in court virtually to take the stand, and he took jurors inside the original investigation.

Becker says witnesses described a white Cadillac pulling alongside Shakur's BMW and someone inside opened fire, but no witnesses could identify the shooter.

Becker also described early difficulties interviewing Knight, eventually speaking with him with his attorneys present.

"To us...his interview was very practiced and he was very timid, and I thought he lied to us. He just didn't know anything," Becker shared.

Becker says investigators followed the case from Las Vegas to California, eventually identifying Anderson as a suspect, but also highlighting the limits of that early investigation.

No one could identify the shooter, and photo lineups failed to produce a positive identification.

Becker also testified a witness described the last vehicle seen with Shakur's entourage that night as possibly a white Cadillac or Buick.

The trial continues Tuesday.