The family of Tupac Shakur have filed a wrongful death lawsuit, seeking unspecified damages connected to his alleged murder.
The late artist, widely regarded as one of the most influential figures of the 1990s, was shot on September 7 1996 after travelling to Las Vegas with Suge Knight to attend a boxing match between Mike Tyson and Bruce Seldon.
Earlier that night, there had been a confrontation involving the pair and Orlando Anderson at the MGM Grand Casino. Later, as Shakur and Knight were heading to Club 662, a white Cadillac pulled up alongside them and gunfire was opened from the back seat, striking the rapper four times. He died in hospital six days later at the age of 25.
Duane Davis is the only individual to have been arrested in relation to the killing. He was taken into custody in 2023 and has since pleaded not guilty to first degree murder. Davis is Anderson’s uncle, and investigators have alleged that the shooting was organised as retaliation for the earlier incident at the casino.
Davis, who was previously associated with the South Side Compton Crips, has been accused by prosecutors of ordering the hit, while authorities claim he obtained the weapon used in the attack through an associate.
As part of a plea agreement in 2008, Davis admitted he was inside the white Cadillac when the shooting took place.
The other three men believed to have been in the vehicle, including Anderson, have since died. Davis has continued to deny the charges and has sought to block certain evidence, arguing it was gathered through an unlawful nighttime search.
The new lawsuit filed by Shakur’s family claims there was a “complex conspiracy” behind the killing.
In the filing, they challenge the widely accepted view that the shooting was simply retaliation tied to the casino altercation, and aim to identify and expose others they believe played a role in the death.
The civil case names Davis, though it is separate from the criminal proceedings he faces this summer. It was submitted on Tuesday April 28 in Los Angeles by Tupac’s brother Maurice Shakur, who is acting as administrator of the estate following the death of their father, Mutulu Shakur.
“Nearly 30 years after Tupac’s death, in 2023, the first and only arrest was made,” the filing states, according to BBC News.
The lawsuit further alleges it has uncovered evidence pointing to a broader and more detailed conspiracy, referencing material from grand jury transcripts and a Netflix documentary.
According to the claim, this suggests the killing was carefully planned rather than a spontaneous act of retaliation.
The documentary cited is Sean Combs: The Reckoning, which aired on Netflix last year. While primarily focused on allegations involving Sean Combs, it included footage of a police interview in which Davis allegedly claimed Combs offered him $1million to carry out the killing.
Combs has repeatedly denied any involvement in Shakur’s death and criticised the documentary as a “shameful hit piece”.
Following Davis’ arrest, an interview from 2019 resurfaced, in which he described the moments leading up to the 1996 shooting.
