Tupac Shakur’s stepbrother files wrongful death lawsuit over rapper’s murder

Maurice Shakur, stepbrother of the late Tupac Shakur, filed a wrongful death lawsuit on Tuesday against Duane “Keffe D” Davis and several alleged co-conspirators dubbed “John Does 1 to 100.” Davis was charged in 2023 in connection with Shakur’s 1996 killing, which occurred after the rapper encountered members of a rival gang in Las Vegas. Shakur was shot four times in a drive-by on September 9 and died four days later in the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada’s ICU. Death Row owner Suge Knight, who was also in the car, was injured.

The case stumped prosecutors for three decades until Davis was arrested in connection with the murder, though the suspected shooter—Davis’ nephew Orlando Anderson—was killed in an unrelated gang shootout two years after the rapper’s death. Davis spent years claiming that he and a gunman were in the white Cadillac that pulled up alongside Shakur’s vehicle and opened fire. In his 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend, he recalled the shooting and his involvement. But after his arrest, Davis changed his account of the events, claiming that he was not in Las Vegas on September 9, 1996, nor had he written or read his own memoir. 

Maurice Shakur’s complaint also alleges that more perpetrators were at play in his stepsibling’s killing. “Many individuals who were involved have long since passed away, while others have been hard to identify,” the complaint says. “Yet, one thing is certain: there remain individuals who were involved in Tupac’s murder who, for 30 years, have not been held accountable for their crimes. This action seeks to change that and to recover damages for the wrongful death of Tupac.” Tupac’s mother, Afeni Shakur, first filed a wrongful death suit in 1997 against Orlando Anderson and others, but the case was dismissed in 1999. Maurice’s suit claims to be “fundamentally different” than Afeni’s thanks to new evidence, alleging a new conspiracy behind the rapper’s murder: “For the first time in nearly 30 years, threads are starting to come together.” Davis has pleaded not guilty to the charges. His murder trial is scheduled for August 10, 2026.

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