LAS VEGAS, NV — Jurors in the Las Vegas murder trial of Duane Davis heard recorded police interview audio Friday as prosecutors continued building their case in the killing of Tupac Shakur. The session followed testimony from a witness who said he took the last photograph of Shakur just minutes before the rapper was fatally shot in 1996, along with another witness who described Davis’s ties to a gang linked in court to the events surrounding the shooting.
Prosecutors also played clips from a documentary series that included Davis saying he was the only living person who could explain who killed Shakur. During the day, Davis complained to the judge that his address had been disclosed in court. The trial is expected to continue with more witnesses and additional evidence as the first week of testimony wraps up.
Last photo witness describes seeing Shakur before the shooting on Flamingo Road
Leonard Jefferson told jurors he was the person who took the final photograph of Shakur shortly before the rapper was shot on Flamingo Road on Sept. 7, 1996. He said he had been at a Las Vegas Strip hotel, where he was “people watching,” after selling his tickets to the Mike Tyson and Bruce Seldon fight.
Jefferson testified that he had previously sold cars to people connected to Death Row Records, and that those connections led to an introduction to Shakur. He said he later spotted Shakur and Marion “Suge” Knight in a car beside him while he was stopped at a light on Las Vegas Boulevard. Jefferson said he asked for a quick photo, reached for his 35mm camera, and snapped the picture before heading back to his day.
He said gunfire rang out while he was on the phone canceling a food order. Jefferson testified that he saw the cars stop, people run toward Shakur’s BMW, and a bicycle officer arrive as Knight got out of the vehicle.
Witness links South Side Crips, Death Row Records, and the courtroom evidence
Another prosecution witness, Denvonta Lee, testified under court order and said he was initiated into the South Side Crips street gang. Lee told jurors he understood the South Side Crips’ rival, Mob Piru, to be associated with Death Row Records, Knight, and Shakur. He also said the Crips were tied to Sean “Diddy” Combs’ label, Bad Boy Records.
The courtroom also heard audio from an earlier police interview with Davis. In that recording, Davis described providing the gun used in the shooting, according to the exchange played for jurors. Prosecutors have been using the interview and witness testimony to connect Davis to the events that led to Shakur’s death.
That evidence came as the first week of witness testimony moved toward its end, with prosecutors still expected to call more witnesses and present additional video evidence before the day was over.
Documentary footage and court dispute add to a day of testimony
Prosecutors also called Mario Diaz, a documentary film director, who said Davis was paid to appear in “Death Row Chronicles,” a BET docuseries about Death Row Records. Diaz said the series was not scripted and that he did not give subjects questions in advance.
Jurors watched clips from the series in which Davis said, “I am the only one alive who can tell you who really killed Tupac.” The recording was used alongside the police interview audio as prosecutors tried to reinforce their timeline and Davis’s own words.
At one point, after the jury left the courtroom, Davis told Judge Carli Kierny that his home address had been given out during the proceedings. Kierny later admonished prosecutors to speak with their witnesses after defense attorney Michael Sanft raised the issue.
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