Duane “Keffe D” Davis, a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips, has been found guilty of the 1996 murder of American rapper Tupac Shakur.

A Las Vegas jury convicted the 63-year-old on Monday of first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon after less than three hours of deliberation.

Davis was accused of orchestrating the shooting, which happened on September 7, 1996, after Shakur and members of his entourage had confronted and beaten Davis’ nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, at a Las Vegas casino.

Prosecutors said Davis acquired a firearm, gathered his group and organised the attack on Shakur. He later handed the gun to someone in the back seat of a white Cadillac, which pulled alongside the BMW carrying Shakur at a red light.

Shakur was shot several times and died six days later at the age of 25. Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight, who was driving the BMW, was also wounded.

Davis was not accused of pulling the trigger. Prosecutors based much of their case on his own accounts of the shooting, including statements made in interviews and his 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend. The other three men who were in the Cadillac during the shooting are now dead.

Davis pleaded not guilty and maintained that some of his past statements were exaggerated or fabricated for publicity and financial gain. Following the verdict, he told the court that he intends to appeal.

The conviction is the first in the nearly 30-year-old case and leaves Davis facing a possible life sentence without parole. His sentencing has been scheduled for October 13, 2026.