Everything That Happened The Night Tupac Was Murdered

Tupac Shakur was and still is one of the greatest rappers to have ever existed. Unfortunately, the musician's life was cut short after he was tragically murdered in 1996. Shakur was at the height of his fame when he died that fatal night in September. He began taking his music career seriously at 17 years old in the late '80s, per Biography. Before he was killed, he released four albums with major hits. His last album, "All Eyez on Me," was released just a couple of months before he died and included hit tracks like "California Love" and "How Do U Want It." Shakur was undeniably talented, but that didn't mean he didn't have people who were rooting against him.

In 1994, two years before his death, Shakur was robbed and shot five times in a hotel lobby in Manhattan, per Fox 5. The rapper recovered from the extensive injuries but openly accused fellow rapper, the Notorious B.I.G. and his entourage of being behind the shooting. This led to one of the biggest feuds in the music industry, causing an East Coast versus West Coast rivalry. This rivalry was said to be the reason both rappers were eventually killed. 

Shakur's death has held a lot of mystery behind it, and in 2023, Duane "Keefe D" Davis was charged with the murder of the famed rapper, per AP News. Despite a suspect being charged, there is still plenty to unpack behind the night of Shakur's murder.

Hours before Tupac Shakur lost his life on September 7, 1996, he was having a seemingly fun night in Las Vegas. According to ABC, the "Hit 'Em Up" rapper visited Las Vegas to attend a Mike Tyson fight alongside some of his closest friends and family. Shakur's fiancee, Kidada Jones, and the rapper's head of his music label, Suge Knight, were by his side throughout the fight. Jones later told The Washington Post that she had a bad feeling about going to Vegas that day. She shared, "I knew we should've never gone to Vegas that night. I had a horrible feeling about it. I've gone over it in my mind a million times. It wasn't supposed to happen."

Still, Shakur and his friends and family sat front row to watch Tyson fight against Bruce Seldon, per ABC. The boxing match lasted less than two minutes, but the rapper was happy for Tyson, who ended up winning. Shakur embraced the boxer in a big hug as he congratulated him on his win. Tyson has spoken about his feelings on that night and explained to DjVlad that sometimes he feels "guilty" for being the reason Shakur came to Vegas.

Unfortunately, the boxing match was one of the last moments the public saw Shakur in one of his happiest states before he was tragically murdered later that night.

Tupac Shakur's night was just getting started after the Mike Tyson fight wrapped up in Las Vegas. Just after the fight, the "California Love" rapper had gotten into an altercation in the lobby of the MGM Grand hotel. According to ABC, shortly before 9 p.m., Tupac, Suge Knight, and the rest of their crew got into a fight with Orlando Anderson. Apparently, Shakur and Anderson have had several run-ins prior to the night of September 7th, 1996. Duane Davis, who was later charged with the rapper's murder, and Anderson were a part of a rival gang to Tupac and his entourage. It's unclear what caused the brawl, but video from that night showed the rapper and Knight kicking and beating Anderson, who is Davis' cousin.

Authorities believe this scuffle led to Shakur's death later that night, per CNN. After Davis was charged with Shakur's murder in September 2023, police officer Jason Johansson shared more details about the altercation and how it "became obvious very quickly" that Shakur's murder was the direct result of a "gang-related crime," per Daily Star. After the altercation, both groups went their separate ways. But, when Davis found out about the fight, authorities believe that's when he had "began to devise a plan to obtain a firearm and retaliate against Suge Knight and Mr. Shakur."

Nearly two hours after Tupac Shakur got into a fight in the MGM lobby with Orlando Anderson, he would later be shot. At around 11 p.m., the rapper and Suge Knight were driving down the strip and headed to a Las Vegas nightclub, per ABC. Malcolm Greenidge, a friend of Shakur, was in a separate car just behind the rapper's; he told a grand jury, "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." Once the women drove off, a white Cadillac pulled up beside Shakur's car and fired shots at the rapper and Knight.

When Duane Davis was charged with Shakur's murder in 2023, authorities revealed they believed he "orchestrated" the rapper's murder, per AP News. Las Vegas lieutenant Jason Johansson shared, "Duane Davis was the shot caller for this group of individuals that committed this crime and he orchestrated the plan that was carried out."

At 11:20 p.m. on September 7, 1996, Shakur and Knight were rushed to a nearby hospital, per ABC. The "All Eyez on Me" rapper was shot four times, two of which struck him in the chest. Unfortunately, after six days of intensive care, the famed rapper passed away on September 13, 1996, at 25 years old.