Tupac Murder Suspect Caught in Jailhouse Scuffle: ‘Standing His Ground’ or Mutual Combat?

The man accused of orchestrating the 1996 drive-by shooting that killed hip-hop legend Tupac Shakur found himself in yet another legal skirmish. Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 61, appeared in court on Tuesday to face charges stemming from a fight with another inmate at the Clark County Detention Center. Davis, already behind bars for the murder case, now faces an additional charge of battery by a prisoner.

Defense attorney Carl Arnold described the incident as “mutual combat,” a characterization backed by the arrest report from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. According to the report, Davis and fellow inmate Rochlon Hamilton, also facing a murder charge, engaged in a physical altercation after crossing paths in the jail. The confrontation escalated quickly, with both men taking fighting stances before grappling and throwing punches until officers intervened with pepper spray.

In court, Davis stood before Justice of the Peace Harmony Letizia, clad in his blue jail uniform and handcuffs. The judge upheld a $50,000 bail for the battery charge and scheduled his next hearing for February 11. Davis’s bail in the murder case remains significantly higher at $750,000.

According to the arrest report, Hamilton, accused of fatally stabbing a homeless man in 2023, seemed to be lying in wait for Davis as he stared at the area’s entrance before the altercation. Both men invoked their right to legal counsel during police questioning.

Davis’s legal troubles run deeper than a jailhouse brawl. He is accused of ordering the infamous drive-by shooting near the Las Vegas Strip that killed Tupac Shakur and injured Death Row Records CEO Marion “Suge” Knight. The shooting was allegedly retaliation for a fight at the MGM Grand involving Shakur, Knight, and Davis’s nephew, Orlando Anderson, a member of the South Side Crips.

The feud between the South Side Crips, associated with Sean “Diddy” Combs’s Bad Boy Records, and the Bloods-affiliated Mob Piru gang tied to Death Row Records, has long been cited as the backdrop for Tupac’s murder.

While Davis awaits trial for the murder charge, this latest incident adds another layer of complexity to an already high-profile case. Is Davis, as he claims, merely “standing his ground,” or is this just another chapter in a life marked by violent conflict?

Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal