Jury selection began Monday in the murder trial of Duane “Keefe D” Davis, the only person ever charged in the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur.
Davis, who has pleaded not guilty, is accused of helping orchestrate the Las Vegas drive-by shooting that killed the 25-year-old rapper nearly 30 years ago.
A pool of 75 potential jurors reported to the Regional Justice Center, where the court first tackled whether they could commit to a trial expected to last about a month. More than two dozen were dismissed by the afternoon because of work conflicts, travel plans and other hardships.
Those who remained were questioned individually about their knowledge of Shakur’s murder and whether they had already formed opinions about Davis’ alleged role.
Prosecutors say Davis was inside the white Cadillac that pulled alongside the BMW carrying Shakur and Marion “Suge” Knight on Sept. 7, 1996. They do not allege Davis fired the fatal shots, but accuse him of providing the gun and helping arrange the attack.
Knight, who survived the shooting, told ABC News that Davis’ previous statements could hurt him.
“Everything he said and he talked about … he already told on himself,” Knight said.
Davis’ defense maintains his past comments do not prove he ordered Shakur’s murder.