Featured Image Credit: Steve Granitz Archive/WireImage/Getty / Steve Eichner/Getty Images
Topics: Tupac Shakur, Crime, US News
Gerrard Kaonga
Topics: Tupac Shakur, Crime, US News
Conspiracies surrounding the death of rapper Tupac Shakur have plagued the hip-hop community for decades.
But now, the iconic artists’ final words have now been revealed in the trial for his murder.
This comes after a man named Duane 'Keefe D' Davis - a member of The South Side Compton Crips - was arrested for the murder of Tupac.
A grand jury was held in September and decided there was enough evidence to charge Keefe D with Shakur’s murder.
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Keefe’s attorney confirmed the gang member intended to plead not guilty.
And now, a jury has heard details about that night in Las Vegas, Nevada, September 7, 1996.
E.D.I Mean - real name Malcolm Greenidge - was a member of the rap group Outlawz alongside Shakur.
Greenidge told the jury after the shooting, Shakur told him to 'get down' as he was afraid he would be shot by police, court documents have shown.
Explaining the situation, Greenidge said after Shakur was shot, while riding with label boss Suge Knight, he rushed to the passenger side of the car. Greenidge had witnessed the shooting as he was in the car driving behind Knight and Shakur.
“[I} asked him is he okay, how he's doing, [I was] trying to see, you know, what condition he was in,” Greenidge recollected.
He said Tupac's response was: “Get on the ground, they’re going to shoot you.”
Greenidge said initially he did not notice anyone but when he turned around he saw a police officer pointing a gun at him. He added the officer told him to ‘get on the ground or I'll shoot you’.
Prosecutors asked Greenidge what he did in that moment, to which he told them he complied with the officers instructions and got on the ground.
He said he and other members of his entourage were then detained by officers. He was with other members of the Outlawz group, Katari 'Kastro' Cox, Tupac's cousin, Yafeu Fula - also known as Yaki Kadafi - and a security guard named Frank.
Greenidge also recalled that Knight was urging paramedics to check Shakur’s wellbeing as he was not moving much and seemingly appeared calm.
Greenidge also detailed the moments before the shooting to the jurors.
"We were on our way to Club 662. Mr. Shakur and Knight were in the car in front of us,” he said. "We approached the light. Some women drove up on the passenger side. Mr. Shakur began talking to the women.
"We couldn't really hear what he was saying. We assumed he was probably inviting them to the club.
"After the ladies pull off, another car pulled up beside Mr. Shakur and Mr. Knight and an arm came out of the back window and began shooting."
After the shooting, Shakur died a few days later.