Jada Pinkett Smith, a close friend of Tupac Shakur, expressed hope for answers and closure after the arrest of suspect Duane “Keffe D” Davis in connection with Shakur’s 1996 murder.
In her Instagram stories, she stated: “Now I hope we can get some answers and have some closure,” along with an emotive “R.I.P. Pac” message.
Pinkett Smith and Shakur met at the Baltimore School for the Arts in Maryland in the late 1980s and became close friends. They shared a bond over their passion for music and art, and remained in touch until Shakur’s death.
Shakur was shot four times in a drive-by shooting on the Las Vegas Strip on September 7, 1996, after attending a boxing match between Mike Tyson and Bruce Seldon. He died six days later at the age of 25.
Davis was indicted on Friday on the charge of open murder with the use of a deadly weapon along with a gang enhancement. He is accused of being the “on-ground, on-site commander” who “ordered the death” of Shakur, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Marc DiGiacomo.
Davis and Suge Knight, the co-founder of Death Row Records, were both witnesses to the homicide of Shakur, who was signed to the label. Davis previously confessed that he was one of the four people in the white Cadillac that pulled next to Shakur’s BMW, and rolled down their windows to shoot the rapper.
However, he claimed that his nephew, Orlando Anderson, was the one who pulled the trigger. Anderson was a member of the South Side Compton Crips gang. He died in 1998 in another shooting. He denied involvement in Shakur’s murder and was never charged before his death.
The arrest of Davis comes after Las Vegas police executed a search warrant on a Henderson, Nevada home in connection with Shakur’s murder earlier this month.
Pinkett Smith has always honored the memory of her friend, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time. She often shares photos and videos of him on social media, and recently posted a clip of them lip-syncing and dancing to “Parents Just Don’t Understand” by Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff.
“I never would have imagined that this video would become a tangible memory, of the last time Pac and I, were simply kids together,” she wrote in the caption.
The arrest of Davis has sparked mixed reactions from fans and celebrities, who have been waiting for justice for Shakur for nearly three decades. Some expressed relief and gratitude, while others questioned the credibility and motive of the authorities.
The case of Shakur’s murder remains one of the most notorious and unsolved mysteries in music history.
