Celebrity News September 30, 2023
Jada Pinkett Smith on Tupac Shakur Suspect Arrest: 'I Hope We Can Get Some Answers'
Tupac Shakur was gunned down in 1996, and suspect Duane "Keffe D" Davis was arrested and charged with murder Friday.
Now, Shakur's close pal Jada Pinkett Smith is reacting to the news.
In a Friday Instagram Story, the actress, 52, wrote, "Now I hope we can get some answers and have some closure. R.I.P. Pac."
Shakur, who was murdered 27 years ago this month, would have turned 52 this year.
At a press conference Friday, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Jason Johansson stated, “Duane Davis was the shot caller for this group of individuals that committed this crime and he orchestrated the plan that was carried out.”
During the press conference, surveillance footage of Shakur, Suge Knight and others jumping Keefe D's nephew, Orlando Anderson, in Vegas the night of the murder.
Orlando, a murder suspect, denied any wrongdoing and was later killed in a gang shooting in 1998.
Johansson said, "As both groups were leaving the fight, members of Death Row Records spotted Orlando Anderson near an elevator bank inside the MGM and at that time they began to kick and punch him near that elevator bank. Little did anyone know that it is this incident right here that would ultimately lead to the retaliatory shooting and death of Tupac Shakur."
After the altercation, Davis “began to devise a plan to obtain a firearm and retaliate against Suge Knight and Mr. Shakur."
Johansson revealed that Davis got a firearm and got in a Cadillac with Terrence Brown, Deandre Smith and Anderson."
Suspect Arrested for Tupac Shakur’s Murder
View StoryDiscussing the events leading up to the murder, Johansson told the press, "At some point in time, as they were in the white Cadillac, Mr. Davis took the gun that he had obtained and provided it to the passengers in the rear seat of the vehicle."
The New York Times also reported that a grand jury in Clark County indicted Davis on "one count of murder with use of a deadly weapon and with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang."
Earlier The AP reported that it is unknown if Davis has an attorney. He has not returned requests for comment.
Back in July, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department confirmed to “Extra” that a search warrant was served in connection with the case.
The police said in a statement, “LVMPD can confirm a search warrant was served in Henderson, Nevada on July 17, 2023, as part of the ongoing Tupac Shakur homicide investigation. We will have no further comment at this time.”
TMZ reported at the time that the home belonged to Davis’ wife Paula Clemons.
According to 8 News Now, police were searching for “personal notes, photos and other documents related to the rapper’s death.”
Keefe D, allegedly a former Crip, has been vocal about Tupac’s murder and released the book “Compton Street Legend” in 2019.
The crime occurred September 7, 1996. Tupac, 25, had just left a Mike Tyson boxing match at MGM Grand Hotel and Casino. He was sitting in a black BMW with Suge Knight, of Death Row Records, when they were attacked by someone in a white Cadillac.
Tupac was shot four times and spent six days in a hospital before he died.
Shakur is a legend in the music world. ABC News reports he sold more than 75 million records worldwide.
In April, Snoop Dogg stepped out for the premiere of “Dear Mama,” the five-part docuseries that explored the powerful bond between Tupac and his mother, the late Afeni Shakur.
In an interview with "Extra," Snoop reflected on what Tupac would be doing today to help change the world. He remarked, “Football leagues, philanthropy work, you know, changing the world, being a politician, being effective, being positive… I think that he would be doing the exact same things I'm doing, times two, because he was way ahead of the game before me, so I'm just doing some of the things that I think that he would be proud of.”