E.D.I. Mean testified that Tupac Shakur warned him seconds before police arrived with shotguns during the 1996 Las Vegas shooting that killed the rap legend, a pivotal moment that now fuels the murder trial of Duane ‘Keefe D’ Davis. He delivered this testimony Tuesday (August 25) in the murder trial of Duane ‘Keefe D’ Davis, recounting the terrifying moments after the legendary rapper was shot on the Las Vegas Strip 30 years ago. E.D.I. Mean said he was traveling in a car directly behind the BMW carrying Tupac and Death Row Records CEO Marion ‘Suge’ Knight when a light-colored Cadillac pulled alongside, and someone opened fire. He testified he saw an arm and the gun attached to it, but couldn’t make out the faces of the people inside the Cadillac. ‘We were at a light. Mr. Shakur and Suge Knight was talking to some young ladies. We couldn’t hear what they was talking about,’ E.D.I. Mean said. ‘When those young ladies pulled off, another car pulled up and started shooting at Mr. Shakur and Mr. Knight. The shots came from inside the vehicle. It was from the back seat. The arm and the gun attached to that arm. From my vantage point, they appeared to be African American.’
He testified he and others in his vehicle tried to get out and check on Tupac, but Knight made a U-turn and drove off. They followed. At another intersection, Knight stopped again, and E.D.I. Mean approached the BMW to see how he was doing. That’s when Tupac delivered the warning that now sits at the center of the trial’s narrative. ‘When we approached the car, Mr. Shakur said to me, ‘Get on the ground. They’re going to shoot you.’ And when I turned around, there was a shotgun in my face,’ E.D.I. Mean testified. ‘A police officer. I got on the ground.’
The testimony came during the second week of the high-profile trial in Las Vegas. Prosecutors have charged Davis, 63, with orchestrating the 1996 shooting in retaliation for an earlier altercation between Tupac’s crew and Davis’ nephew, Orlando Anderson, at the MGM Grand that same night. Davis has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors argue Davis was the ‘shot-caller’ who planned the murder, obtained a gun, and organized the vehicles used in the drive-by shooting. They say Davis was in the passenger seat of the Cadillac and passed the weapon to Anderson, who fired the fatal shots. Anderson died in an unrelated gang shooting two years after Tupac’s death. The case has remained one of America’s most notorious unsolved murders for nearly three decades. Davis’ own words from his memoir, podcast interviews, and statements to police form the backbone of the prosecution’s case.
In his book, “Compton Street Legend,” Davis wrote in detail about the night of the shooting, describing how he obtained a gun and hunted down Tupac and Knight. However, Davis has since distanced himself from those accounts, claiming his co-author inserted false information and that he was only speaking publicly because of a proffer agreement with police that he believed protected him from prosecution. The trial is expected to continue for several more weeks, with prosecutors calling additional witnesses and experts to build their case against Davis. The defendant faces up to life in prison if convicted. This testimony highlights a crucial element of the trial: Tupac’s explicit warning, a pivotal moment that now significantly impacts the legal proceedings.
Source: AllHipHop
