Keefe D, the primary suspect in Tupac Shakur’s 1996 murder, plans to file a civil lawsuit against Clark County Detention Center correctional officers over allegations of assault in his cell, even as his own son publicly contradicts the claims.
Attorney Carl Arnold confirmed that his client, Duane “Keefe D” Davis, will pursue civil action separate from his murder case regarding an alleged August incident. The self-proclaimed former Compton gang leader previously accused guards of attacking him on prosecutors’ orders during a trial readiness hearing.
“On the whole attack matter, we are kind of biding our time on that one. It did happen. But that is more of a civil matter. We will deal with that in due time,” Arnold said. Both the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the district attorney’s office deny the allegations.
However, Davis’s eldest son, Duane Davis Jr., recently contradicted his father’s claims. “Nobody touched him. No, he didn’t get beat up by anybody,” the younger Davis said in a media appearance. “He had a problem with an officer over a mattress, an extra mattress. They wanted him to react so he could deny his bail.”
Las Vegas Metro Police provided their account of the incident in August: “LVMPD Corrections Officers were conducting a routine module search of Davis’ cell and adjacent rooms when they discovered contraband inside of his cell,” the department said. “Davis became physically uncooperative and was subsequently handcuffed. Davis declined medical attention and officers documented the encounter.”
Meanwhile, Arnold remains hopeful his client could post the $125,000 bail before Christmas, though two previous attempts through rapper-turned-producer Cash “Wack 100” Jones and a concert promoter were denied over concerns about the money’s source. A family-initiated online fundraising effort has recently disappeared.
Davis faces trial in March for the 1996 shooting death of rapper Tupac Shakur near the Las Vegas Strip. His son maintains his father’s innocence despite Davis’s multiple public confessions about involvement in the crime, which his attorney now claims were fabricated for financial gain through media appearances.
“They have no physical evidence of my dad being there or doing that to somebody,” Davis Jr. said, echoing his father’s defense strategy that he had created “a character that you get in to get paid.”
Arnold claims prosecutors lack evidence placing Davis in Las Vegas the night of Shakur’s murder. The case is scheduled for trial in March 2025.
