A man has been charged in Las Vegas with the murder of rapper Tupac Shakur.
The hip-hop star – regarded as one of the most influential rappers of all time – was shot dead in the Nevada city in 1996.
However, his shooter has never been identified, and the case has frustrated investigators and fascinated the public ever since.
A Nevada grand jury has now indicted 60-year-old Duane “Keffe D” Davis on a charge of murder with use of a deadly weapon.
He is the uncle of Orlando Anderson – one of Tupac’s known rivals – who authorities have long suspected in the rapper’s death.
Mr Anderson, who is said to have been involved in a casino brawl involving Tupac and his associates on the night of the star’s death, denied any involvement in the rapper’s killing at the time.
He died two years later in an unrelated gang shooting.
Mr Davis admitted in interviews and in his 2019 tell-all memoir, “Compton Street Legend,” that he was in the car allegedly used in the shooting.
Read more:
Tupac to be honoured in California
Who is hip-hop star Tupac Shakur?
At the time of his death, Tupac was one of the leading figures in the West Coast hip-hop scene, with hits including “California Love” and “Dear Mama”.
Known by his stage name 2Pac, the New York-born rapper found fame with his debut album 2Pacalypse Now and was nominated for six Grammy Awards throughout his music career.
He was killed on the night of 7 September 1996, while in a black BMW driven by Death Row Records founder Marion “Suge” Knight.
The pair were waiting in a convoy of about 10 cars at a red light, a block from the Las Vegas Strip, when a white Cadillac pulled up next to them and gunfire erupted.
Tupac died after being shot multiple times. He was 25 at the time.
The shooting unfolded shortly after a casino brawl earlier in the evening between Mr Anderson, Tupac and their associates.
There were many witnesses to the shooting, but the investigation quickly stalled, in part because those witnesses refused to cooperate, Las Vegas police said in the past.
Until Friday, there had never been any arrests in the case.
Pic: AP
In July, police searched a property which public records, including voting records, linked to the wife of Mr Davis.
At the time, police confirmed officers had served a search warrant in Henderson, a city near Las Vegas.
Police were looking for items “concerning the murder of Tupac Shakur,” according to the search warrant.
However, the department did not release any other details, including where officers were searching and whether they expect to make an arrest.
The Associated Press (AP), which first reported the arrest of Mr Davis off the back of information from two unnamed sources, said Mr Davis had not responded to multiple phone and text messages from the press agency seeking comment since the raid in July.
