LAS VEGAS — During the trial in Las Vegas of the man accused of orchestrating Tupac Shakur’s murder, some of his family members exited the courtroom before prosecutors displayed images from his autopsy.
However, a few family members chose to remain and confront the grim reality of the events that befell the legendary rapper.
These unsettling images were presented during the second day of testimony in the case against Duane “Keffe D” Davis, accused of planning the tragic drive-by shooting that ended Shakur’s life in 1996.
Dr. Lisa Gavin, a forensic pathologist and medical examiner for Clark County, outlined the injuries Shakur sustained and provided insight into his cause of death. The jury first saw a photograph of a green body bag, leading into more disturbing images. Some family members who stayed averted their gaze as the photos were displayed.
Tupac’s family in the Las Vegas courtroom
Zayd Akinyela, Shakur’s cousin, chose to remain in the courtroom, expressing a desire to gain a deeper understanding of what happened.
“I feel like the details, especially for people that are close to him, honestly for me helps, helps the grief process. I think we’ve been waiting 30 years to grieve properly,” Akinyela told The Associated Press outside the courtroom. “A lot of people don’t get to grieve until they understand what happened to their loved one and how it happened.” He added, “That’s why I wanted to stay and just see for my own personal closure.”
He said he hadn’t known how many times his cousin was shot and can’t help but think of the ways the night could have played out differently.
Seeing the photos of Shakur’s body made him feel “Very angry, very angry, to say the least, very sad,” Akinyela said.
What the forensic pathologist said about the gunshots
Gavin described three bullets, one of which traveled through Shakur’s chest, including through a lung. That caused his lung to collapse and bleed, and doctors ultimately removed the damaged lung in an effort to save his life, she said.
Additional bullets damaged his intestines and other parts of his body, she said.
Jurors looked intently at the photos of Shakur’s body, which was bloated and had multiple chest wounds. The nearly full courtroom was quiet. Photos showed his tattoos and the chest tubes that were still in his body from the six days he spent in the hospital before dying.
The images were not shown in the video feed from the trial.
Gavin was not at Shakur’s autopsy but was called as an expert witness because the examiner from 30 years ago has since died.
As Gavin explained the photos, Davis sat still, looking at the screen in front of him. He occasionally whispered in his attorney’s ear.
Family members who had stepped out returned for the testimony of subsequent witnesses.
Surveillance video of a clash before the drive-by shooting
Prosecutors allege Shakur was killed to avenge Shakur’s entourage attacking Davis’ nephew Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson a few hours earlier at the MGM Grand after a Mike Tyson fight.
On Tuesday, jurors were shown the casino’s surveillance video of the clash. The camera, which panned back and forth in the MGM Grand, showed a group of people beating and kicking someone on the ground.
The video showed Shakur and his entourage moving quickly through the crowded building in the minutes after. At times, the other men had to jog to keep up with the rapper.
The surveillance footage then showed security and police arriving at the scene and talking to Anderson, who was wearing a number 13 Dan Marino Miami Dolphins jersey.
A few hours later, Shakur, riding in a black BMW with hip-hop mogul Marion “Suge” Knight, was gunned down by shots fired from a white Cadillac that had Davis, Anderson and two other men inside. Davis is not accused of pulling the trigger.
Dean O’Kelley, a former Las Vegas police officer, testified to finding several cartridges on the street at the scene, and got reports that the suspect’s vehicle was a white Cadillac, potentially occupied by four Black men.
He said he checked areas that he frequented while working in the police gang unit to look for it.
What happens next
Davis, 63, could get life in prison if he’s convicted of murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang. He has pleaded not guilty. His lawyer in the defense opening called the prosecution’s narrative “fiction.”
Lawyer Michael Sanft told jurors Davis wasn’t previously charged, despite implicating himself in interviews and his memoir, because law enforcement knew that he was “full of crap.”
Shakur, who used the stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, remains a cultural icon and is considered one of the most influential and versatile rappers of all time. He died as his popularity was peaking at age 25, and his legend has only grown in the years since.
Akinyela, Shakur’s cousin, said, “I’m very spiritual, so just seeing the body doesn’t affect me the same way as it might some people. I do believe that his spirit is still around and still lives on through his family and through his legacy.”
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Associated Press Writer Rebecca Boone contributed from Boise, Idaho.
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