Tupac Shakur's Death: Details of the Rapper's 1996 Murder and Ongoing Investigation

Tupac Shakur's 1996 murder remains unsolved to this day

At just 25 years old, Tupac Shakur was well on his way to becoming a hip-hop legend. The rapper, who was also a talented poet and actor, already had four albums under his belt (including two that rose to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 chart) — when he was gunned down in a drive-by shooting on the Las Vegas strip on Sept. 7, 1996.

On the night of the fatal shooting, Shakur had attended a Mike Tyson heavyweight match at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas along with Marion “Suge” Knight, who had signed Shakur to his label Death Row Records in the fall of 1995. Later that evening, when Shakur and Knight were driving to Knight’s Las Vegas nightclub, they were shot at multiple times while stopped at a red light. Shakur sustained multiple injuries and died six days later on Sept. 13, 1996.

Related: Tupac Shakur Honored with Street in California: Tupac Shakur Way

The gunman in the shooting has never been identified, and Shakur’s death remains one of the most infamous unsolved murders in music history. Nearly three decades later, the search for answers continues — with authorities executing a search warrant in July 2023 as part of the investigation into Shakur’s homicide.

Most recently, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department arrested a suspect in connection to Shakur's murder on Sept. 29, 2023. Duane “Keffe D” Davis was charged with one count of murder with a gang enhancement. His arrest marks the biggest breakthrough in the cold case in nearly 27 years.

Here is a closer look at what happened when Tupac Shakur died, as well as the legacy he left behind.

How did Tupac Shakur die?

Shakur was shot four times while riding in the passenger seat of a black BMW driven by Knight. The shooting occurred when a white Cadillac pulled up next to them at a red light and opened fire — hitting Shakur in the arm, thigh and twice in the chest. (Knight was also grazed in the head by a bullet.)

The bullets that hit Shakur in the chest caused life-threatening injuries and extensive internal bleeding, the Los Angeles Times reported. The rapper underwent surgery to remove his right lung at Las Vegas' University Medical Center and was on a respirator in intensive care for six days before he died from his injuries.

The official causes of Shakur’s death were respiratory failure and cardiopulmonary arrest associated with multiple gunshot wounds.

When did Tupac Shakur die?

The drive-by shooting that killed Shakur occurred at 11:15 p.m. on Sept. 7, 1996. However, Shakur died six days later from his injuries, on Sept. 13, 1997, at 4:03 p.m.

Where did Tupac Shakur die?

Shakur died at University Medical Center in Las Vegas after being shot while driving down Las Vegas Boulevard.

How old was Tupac Shakur when he died?

The rapper was 25 years old at the time of his death.

What were Tupac Shakur’s last words?

Shakur’s last words came while he lay bleeding in the street following the drive-by shooting. While Shakur was still conscious, former Las Vegas police officer Chris Carroll — who was on bike patrol that night and was the first person on the scene — repeatedly asked the rapper who shot him. Shakur responded with “f--- you.”

Carroll revealed the story in a 2014 feature with Vegas Seven, per Rolling Stone. According to Carroll, Shakur then lost consciousness and was taken away by ambulance. Carroll rode along in the ambulance in case the rapper woke up and could provide any more information about the gunman. But Shakur never regained consciousness, and those two words proved to be his last.

Despite Shakur’s response to Carroll, Las Vegas Police Department detective Dan Long believes that both Shakur and Knight knew the assailant.

“My belief is they both knew,” he told PEOPLE in 2017. “The cars were two or three feet apart when the shooting occurred. Tupac was the passenger, [and] he would have been right up against him in an extremely well-lit part of town.”

Long also tried to interview Knight during the initial investigation, but Knight refused to speak. Knight is currently serving a prison term for unrelated charges.

How did the public react to Tupac Shakur’s death?

The death of Shakur sent shockwaves through the music community — and inspired a public fascination with attempting to solve his murder. Several conspiracy theories developed over who orchestrated the rapper’s death, including that rival rap star Biggie Smalls arranged for his murder as part of their East Coast/West Coast feud, that Knight planned the shooting to stop Shakur from forming his own record company and that the hit was actually intended for Knight and ordered by Knight’s wife Sharitha. (Sharitha denied those claims, telling PEOPLE, “If I wanted to kill Suge, believe me, his ass would be dead.”)

But the most common theory is that Shakur’s death was gang-related, particularly since Shakur’s label Death Row Records and its founder Knight were associated with the L.A. gang Mob Piru (who were sworn enemies of the Compton Crips). An LAPD source even told PEOPLE in 2017 that Shakur’s murder was “gang retaliation.”

Related: Suge Knight's Son Claims Tupac Is Alive and Living in Malaysia

Shakur signed to Death Row Records in the fall of 1995 after Knight helped bail the rapper out of jail. (He was serving a 4½-year sentence after being convicted of sexually abusing a 19-year-old fan.) Shakur signing with Knight automatically made him an enemy of the Crips, according to the LAPD source.

Besides being guilty by association, Shakur had also been involved in a brawl with Crips member Orlando Anderson hours before he was gunned down. Anderson had attempted to steal a Death Row Records medallion from a member of Shakur’s entourage (and Mob Piru member), and the rapper — who was known for his temper — attacked in response when he spotted Anderson later at the MGM Grand Casino. The LAPD insider revealed to PEOPLE that a Crips leader admitted to Shakur’s death being a revenge killing for this beating.

“It was simple retaliation: you mess with one of ours, we will mess with one of yours,” the source told PEOPLE. “If Orlando had never been jumped in the hotel, they never would have killed Tupac that night.”

Additionally, in the weeks following the rapper’s deadly shooting, a wave of gang violence ensued in L.A. that informants told police was retaliation for Shakur’s murder, the Los Angeles Times reported.

According to the Los Angeles Times, there were a dozen shootings in Compton — including three fatalities — that were considered payback for the killing of Shakur. On Oct. 2, 1996, more than 300 law enforcement officers conducted raids in Compton and nearby areas to put a stop to gang violence. Twenty-three people were arrested, including Anderson — but he was released two days later and never charged for the gang killings, the Times reported.

What legacy did Tupac Shakur leave behind?

Shakur is widely considered to be one of history’s most talented and influential rappers, with Rolling Stone declaring him one of the 100 greatest artists of all time in 2010. The late rapper was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017, honored with a street named after him in Oakland, California, and awarded a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2023.

“Tupac knew deep down that he was always meant for something great, and as his little sister, I had the privilege to watch that greatness unfold,” his sister Sekyiwa "Set" Shakur said at Shakur’s Walk of Fame ceremony in June 2023.

Shakur also inspired a generation of future rappers, including Eminem, Meek Mill, Lil’ Wayne, Drake and Kendrick Lamar. “Every rapper who grew up in the Nineties owes something to Tupac,” rapper 50 Cent wrote in Rolling Stone. “He didn’t sound like anyone who came before him.”

Related: Tupac Shakur to Get Posthumous Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame, 26 Years After His Murder

Shakur’s death also sparked a slew of documentaries, films and even musicals about his life. The documentary film Tupac: Resurrection premiered in November 2003 and was nominated for an Academy Award, a Broadway musical featuring the late rapper’s music called Holler If You Hear Me debuted in June 2014, a Tupac biopic called All Eyez on Me was released in June 2017 and Dear Mama, an FX docuseries about Shakur’s life and career, premiered in April 2023.

Shakur’s family has also honored his legacy in a variety of ways in the years since his death. His mother, Afeni Shakur Davis, launched the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation in 1997, initially as a way to bring “quality arts training to young people.” Since her death in 2016, the foundation has been focused on addressing mental health and trauma through education, therapeutic resources and creative arts.

Has anyone ever been charged with Tupac Shakur’s murder?

Anderson — the member of the Crips who had an altercation with Shakur on the day of his death — was widely considered the prime suspect in his murder. He was arrested in October 1996 in a gang violence raid, according to the Los Angeles Times, but only questioned for 20 minutes and released two days later.

Though Anderson was never charged in Shakur’s death, Shakur’s mother, Afeni, filed a wrongful death suit against the gang member in September 1997. An affidavit filed with the lawsuit alleged that Anderson was seen carrying a Glock .40-caliber handgun — the same type of weapon used to kill Shakur — shortly after the rapper's death, according to the Los Angeles Times. Anderson was killed in an unrelated gang shootout in May 1998.

On July 18, 2023, a search warrant was executed on a Henderson, Nevada, home that was “part of the ongoing Tupac Shakur homicide investigation,” a spokesperson with the Las Vegas Metro Police Department told PEOPLE.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the home belonged to gang member Duane Keith Davis, a.k.a. Keffe D. Police seized .40-caliber cartridges, computers, iPads, an iPhone, a hard drive, photos and other materials from Davis’ home.

Davis wrote a book called Compton Street Legend, in which he claims that he was a passenger in the white Cadillac that shot at Shakur and Knight in 1996, the Times reported. He also states in the book that he is the uncle of Anderson, and that Anderson — along with two other individuals — was in the car as well on that infamous evening.

On Sept. 29, 2023, Davis was reportedly arrested by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department in connection to Shakur's murder. He was charged with one count of murder with a gang enhancement.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.