The family of the late rapper Tupac Shakur has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Los Angeles against Duane “Keefe D” Davis, the only person ever criminally charged in connection with the 1996 murder, nearly 30 years after the killing that shook the music world.
The civil suit was filed on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Los Angeles County Superior Court by Maurice “Mopreme” Shakur, Tupac’s stepbrother, acting as administrator of the estate of Mutulu Shakur, Tupac’s late stepfather. In addition to Davis, the suit names over 100 unnamed co-conspirators, identified as John Does, as defendants, reflecting the family’s belief that a broader conspiracy was behind the murder.
The documents allege a “complex conspiracy to murder Tupac that involved much more than mere retaliation for a prior altercation,” and state that grand jury transcripts and a Netflix documentary have since revealed the involvement of more individuals than previously known. The family said the civil lawsuit’s aim is to use the legal discovery process to identify those who participated in planning, financing, directing, or carrying out the killing.
Davis, a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips street gang, was indicted by a Clark County grand jury in September 2023 for first-degree murder. Prosecutors have described him as the on-site commander who ordered the killing and have said he provided the weapon used. He has publicly acknowledged being in the white Cadillac from which the shots were fired. He has pleaded not guilty. His criminal trial, currently delayed, is scheduled to begin on August 10, 2026.
Shakur was shot four times in a drive-by attack in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996, while riding in a vehicle driven by Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight. He died in hospital six days later at the age of 25. The three men who were in the car with Davis at the time of the shooting have all since died.
The civil action is separate from the ongoing criminal case. The family said they intend to amend the complaint to name additional defendants as their investigation advances through discovery.
