LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The attorney for the man accused of orchestrating the murder of Tupac Shakur said his client was “ambushed” inside the jail.
Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 61, was charged Sunday with battery by a prisoner for an incident inside the Clark County Detention Center. Court documents give two dates for when it occurred — Dec. 23 and Jan. 24. Davis’ attorney, Carl Arnold, said Friday that the December date is correct.
Documents the 8 News Now Investigators first obtained Tuesday reveal Davis allegedly fought with another inmate where both “[engaged] in mutual combat by grappling and throwing closed fist strikes.” Davis allegedly grabbed the other inmate in a headlock. The second inmate, who is 53, is in custody on a murder charge, records said.
The attack happened after Davis met with his attorney and a corrections officer escorted Davis back to his cell, Arnold said.
“Despite clear video evidence showing Mr. Davis was the victim in this situation, he is being unfairly charged in a case riddled with serious procedural concerns,” Arnold said Friday. “We will aggressively challenge these charges and demand full accountability for the security failures and the serious errors in the official record.”
The incident was not brought up by Arnold nor prosecutors during a hearing in mid-January.
In court Tuesday, Las Vegas Justice Court Judge Harmony Letizia affirmed Davis’ $50,000 and ordered him to return to court on Feb. 11.
Davis has remained in custody since his arrest in September 2023. He has publicly said he was sitting in the front passenger seat of the car, which pulled up side-by-side with Shakur’s, before the September 1996 shooting near the Las Vegas Strip. Marion “Suge” Knight, the then-head of Death Row Records, was driving the car with Shakur sitting in the passenger seat. Knight was injured in the shooting. Shakur died from his injuries several days later.
Davis’ trial was scheduled to begin in March. The judge in the murder case scheduled a Feb. 11 hearing to determine if that date would stick.
