A Suspect, but No Witnesses

Original: “Police Have Suspect, No Witnesses In Tupac Murder Case” · MTV News · no byline · December 20, 1996

A good three months after the shooting, Las Vegas police seemed close to their goal, but faced a wall of silence. On December 20, 1996, they told MTV News they believed they knew who shot Tupac Shakur on September 7, 1996. That was not enough for charges, however: almost no one cooperated with investigators.

Everyone Questioned, Suge Knight Cleared

A spokesperson emphasized that everyone involved had been interviewed, including Suge Knight, who was driving the car and was grazed in the head himself. Contrary to persistent rumors, Knight was not a suspect. The investigation was essentially complete; now police hoped for witnesses willing to testify. Only then would they also name the suspect.

The Name Leaks Out: Orlando Anderson

Publicly, police did not release the name in 1996, but it leaked out shortly thereafter. In February 1997, the Los Angeles Times reported that investigators had narrowed the list down to three men from Los Angeles, including Orlando Anderson, whom Tupac and Death Row associates had beaten at the MGM Grand. In March 1997, MTV made public a Compton police document that named Anderson as the shooter.

Nearly Three Decades of Silence, Until Keffe D Talks

The pattern of this report shaped the case for nearly three decades: police who believed they knew what had happened, and witnesses who stayed silent. The turning point came not from a witness in Tupac’s circle, but from Anderson’s uncle Duane “Keffe D” Davis, who spoke about that night himself-first to investigators in 2008, and publicly from 2018 on. He was arrested in September 2023 and found guilty in Las Vegas on August 31, 2026; sentencing is scheduled for October 13, 2026 (not final, as of October 2026).

The statement regarding Knight has also held up: he was never charged in this case. According to the indictment, the shooting was retaliation for the brawl at the MGM Grand.