Duane “Keffe D” Davis Charged in Tupac Shakur’s 1996 Shooting Appears in Court with Prominent Las Vegas Lawyer

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Duane “Keffe D” Davis, the Southern California street gang leader charged in the fatal shooting of Tupac Shakur in 1996, made a court appearance in Las Vegas on Thursday. Davis was accompanied by attorney Ross Goodman, a prominent lawyer from a well-known political family in the city. Goodman stated that Davis would not immediately enter a plea and would seek another two weeks to confirm his hiring for the case.

Davis, 60, was arrested on September 29 outside his home in suburban Henderson. He claimed to have moved to Nevada in January due to his wife’s involvement in opening grocery stores. Edi Faal, Davis’ longtime personal lawyer in Los Angeles, confirmed Goodman’s involvement in the case.

Ross Goodman, the son of former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and current Mayor Carolyn Goodman, has handled various high-profile cases throughout his career. He represented former Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Damon Arnette in a plea deal for a felony gun charge and has also represented other notable clients, including athletes and mob figures.

The arrest of Davis in September brought renewed interest to the unsolved murder of Tupac Shakur, one of hip-hop music’s enduring mysteries. Davis is the first person ever arrested in connection with Shakur’s death. His indictment has also raised questions about the unsolved killing of rival rapper Notorious B.I.G., also known as Christopher Wallace, in March 1997 in Los Angeles.

Davis, who denies involvement in Notorious B.I.G.’s killing, has publicly described his role in Shakur’s death in recent years, including in interviews and a 2019 tell-all memoir. He is the only living person among the four men who were in the car from which shots were fired at Shakur and rap music mogul Marion “Suge” Knight. Shakur died a week later at the age of 25, while Knight survived but was wounded.