Attorney for Tupac Shakur killing suspect argues client acted in self-defense in jail altercation

Noble Brigham, Las Vegas Review-Journal on Apr 7, 2025

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LAS VEGAS — An attorney for the man accused of organizing the slaying of Tupac Shakur claims his client acted in self-defense during a jail altercation that led to a separate battery case scheduled to go to trial Tuesday.

Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 61, was indicted in February on counts of battery by a prisoner and challenging someone to a fight. Prosecutors have alleged he and another inmate, Rochlon Hamilton, 53, struck each other during a Dec. 23 incident at the Clark County Detention Center.

A Monday news release from the office of defense lawyer Carl Arnold argued surveillance footage will show Davis was attacked first and “acted solely in self-defense.”

The release claims there were “glaring security failures” at the jail.

“The inmate who attacked Mr. Davis was unsupervised and placed in his direct path during escort, despite Mr. Davis being housed in a high-security unit due to his status as a high-profile detainee,” said Arnold’s firm.

The Metropolitan Police Department, which operates the jail, and the Clark County district attorney’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Arnold’s release also questioned “the motivations behind the prosecution,” given that charges were not initially filed until weeks after the event.

Prosecutors have said Davis, who was reportedly a member of the South Side Crips, orchestrated the killing of Shakur near the Strip in 1996 as retaliation for a fight involving Shakur and his nephew.

Correctional officer Ari Keim previously told grand jurors that on the morning of the altercation, he was escorting inmates to see their attorneys and then go back to their units at the jail, when he noticed Hamilton standing in a common room without an officer present, which seemed unusual.

Hamilton “just says, ‘What’s up?’ and then Davis responds back with ‘What’s up?’ and then that’s when they started fighting,” Keim testified.

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