All hell broke loose on the second day of Tupac Shakur’s murder trial due to one witness’s combative testimony.
The trial of Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis, who is accused of being instrumental in the murder of the American rapper and actor, has begun in Las Vegas.
On September 7 1996, Tupac and Marion ‘Suge’ Knight were shot at while waiting at a red light; driver Knight survived, but Shakur died after a bullet entered his lung.
Thirty years later Davis, 63, is on trial for murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang. He has denied the allegations.
On Tuesday, James ‘Mob James’ McDonald, an associate of Knight who worked in security at Club 662 the night Shakur was killed, became agitated as he appeared in court for a testimony which is being branded ‘wild’.
McDonald was a former member of rival Blood street gang offshoot Mob Piru and enforcer at Knight’s Death Row Records label, which represented Shakur.
He insists he wasn’t with Shakur when the shooting took place.
McDonald claimed he was threatened with being held in contempt of court if he did not testify on Tuesday before repeatedly being asked by prosecutors who was responsible for Shakur’s death.
‘You’re asking me something that wouldn’t be good for him,’ he said pointing towards Davis, before telling him: ‘I don’t want to send you to prison.’
Hesitant McDonald said he didn’t want to answer several questions because it ‘wouldn’t be good’ for Davis.
At one point, he looked over at the former gang boss before saying: ‘Talk to your lawyer man, this dude is tripping.’
‘I don’t want to send him to prison, even though we don’t like each other. I don’t want to send you to prison,’ he added.
He then told the defence attorney: ‘You ask me something I don’t wanna talk about, you’re gonna have a problem. Treat me as a hostile witness.
‘You’re not gonna talk to me and tell me as a grown man what I have to do up here. I’m not gonna send him to prison, you are.’
Prosecutors have alleged that, although Davis did not himself fire the gun that shot and killed the rapper, he was a ringleader in the group responsible.
On July 18 2023, the Las Vegas police department searched Davis’ home in connection with the murder case. He was arrested on September 29.
He was then charged with murder that same month.
If found guilty, he could face life imprisonment without parole.
Davis maintains that he wasn’t even in Nevada on the night of Tupac’s murder.
Shakur, also known as 2Pac, was 25 when he was fatally shot at the height of his fame. He died from his injuries a few days later on September 13.
He had been attending the Bruce Seldon vs Mike Tyson boxing match with ex-CEO of Death Row Records Suge Knight at the MGM Grand in Nevada.
Later that night, when they were driving as part of a convoy in a black BMW sedan, a white Cadillac pulled up alongside the car and opened fire. Shakur was struck four times.
The trial is expected to last four to six weeks.
