Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis, the 63-year-old accused in the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur, told Los Angeles detectives in 2008 that his nephew, Orlando ‘Baby Lane’ Anderson, fired the fatal shots during the Las Vegas drive-by shooting. The audio recording of the police interview was played for jurors on Thursday, revealing Davis’s account of the events.

Accused Claims Gun Was Passed to Nephew

Davis, who was in the white Cadillac with Anderson and two other men at the time of the shooting, said in the interview that the vehicle pulled up alongside the car in which Shakur and hip-hop mogul Marion ‘Suge’ Knight were riding. According to Davis, if the car had been on his side, he would have fired, though Instead, he passed his gun back to Deandre ‘Big Dre’ Smith, who declined it. Anderson, also in the back seat, took the weapon and began firing, Davis said.

Key Evidence in Prosecution’s Case

The interview is considered key evidence in the prosecution’s case against Davis, who has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors have emphasized that they will rely heavily on Davis’s own admissions in interviews with police, as well as on a 2019 memoir he co-authored titled “Compton Street Legend.”

Davis also previously told the FBI that his nephew was not involved in the 1996 shooting and speculated that either Knight or Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was responsible. The interview played for jurors is the first time Davis directly discussed his involvement in the killing with authorities.

Courtroom Reactions and Testimony

During the audio playback, Davis and his attorney were seen whispering to each other, though the jury watched a screen displaying the transcript of the recording, occasionally taking notes. Shakur’s family sat quietly, occasionally looking at the screen or down at the floor; the room was described as quiet as Davis recounted the shooting in the 2008 interview.

Jurors have been hearing detailed accounts of the alleged events, including the chain of gun possession and the sequence of actions in the vehicle. The evidence suggests that Davis, who was in the car with the shooter, may have been present during the attack but did not fire the weapon himself.