From the archives: A look back at Review-Journal coverage of the Tupac shooting
With the indictment of Duane “Keefe D” Davis in the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur, what is arguably one of the most famous killings in the history of Las Vegas is back in the spotlight.
But how did the shooting of Tupac Shakur play out in news coverage as it happened back in 1996?
The now legendary rapper was shot four times at about 11:15 p.m. on Sept. 7, 1996 while he was a front-seat passenger in a black BMV driven by then-Death Row Records boss Marion “Suge” Knight.
The BMW, heading east on Flamingo Road just before Koval Lane just east of the Las Vegas Strip, was targeted by four men in a white Cadillac that pulled up alongside the BMW, police said, with one of that car’s occupants firing 12 to 13 shots from a semi-automatic handgun. Two of the bullets hit Shakur in the chest, with Knight also suffering minor injuries from a bullet fragment.
Shakur was taken to University Medical Center, where he died six days later on Sept. 13.
For 27 years, the case has captivated the public, but no arrest was ever made — until now. Davis, according to police, is accused of being the “on-ground, on-sight commander” who was responsible for hatching the plan to shoot Shakur in retaliation for Shakur’s fight with Davis’ nephew Orlando Anderson at the MGM Grand earlier that night after the Mike Tyson-Bruce Seldon boxing match.
Police believe Davis is the only man still living of the four who were in the white Cadillac that night.
Let’s take a look back at the Review-Journal archives to see how the news of Shakur’s shooting broke, and what happened in the days afterward leading up to Shakur’s death.
This was the first story — it was on the front page of the Sept. 9, 1996 Review-Journal after the rapper was shot on Sept. 7:
The story continued on the inside pages:
In the next day’s coverage, Sept. 10, 1996, it started to emerge that those around Tupac at the time of the shooting weren’t talking as more details about the shooting began to emerge:
The story continued:
There was also a story about how if Tupac were to survive the shooting, he would face a long road to recovery:
Here’s how the story unfolded over the next few days:
On Sept. 13, 1996, Shakur died of his injuries at University Medical Center in Las Vegas:
There was coverage of Shakur was being mourned:
The next day’s coverage, on Sept. 15, 1996, included a story about a vigil for Shakur held by fans at Flamingo Road and Koval Lane:
