On the second day of the trial in the murder of rapper Tupac Shakur, James “Mob James” McDonald, a man from the rapper’s entourage, testified. He was aggressive and stated that he was threatened with being held in contempt of court if he refused to become a witness.
In the dock is Dwayne "Kiffie Dee" Davis, who is accused of masterminding the murder. He declared his innocence.
MacDonald was asked several times whether he could point to the person responsible for the death of Tupac Shakur.
“You’re asking me to do something that won’t benefit him,” the man responded, pointing at Davis. “I don’t want to send you to jail,” McDonald told the defendant.
Thirty years after the legendary rapper's death, a trial in Las Vegas many hope will answer questions about one of the most notorious unsolved murders in the United States.
Tupac Shakur was just 25 years old when he was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting on the street in Las Vegas following a boxing match with Mike Tyson on September 7, 1996. The rapper died in hospital six days later.
Prosecutors believe Davis — a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips street gang — planned the attack on Shakur after the rapper and his entourage beat Orlando Anderson, Davis' nephew, hours earlier. Davis, the prosecution believes, believed that the attack on his nephew “could not be left unanswered.”
In the 1990s, when gangs controlled the hip-hop scene, street code prohibited cooperation with the police. Distrust of authorities was widespread following the high-profile Rodney King police brutality case and the ensuing riots in Los Angeles.
The wounded Tupac Shakur was in the ambulance after the shooting - and refused to communicate with the police. “We will deal with this ourselves,” he said. Tupac Shakur died in hospital six days later.
And now, 30 years later, McDonald, apparently, is still not ready to violate this very street code. The witness - noting that he didn't particularly like Davis - looked hesitant when he appeared in the courtroom on Tuesday, August 18.
McDonald is a former member of the Mob Piru Bloods street gang, which was at odds with Davis' gang. He was a security guard at the 662 club, which Shakur was going to when he was attacked, and worked for Marion "Suge" Knight's Death Row Records, which represented the legendary rapper.
In court, MacDonald said he was not with Shakur at the time of the shooting.
Davis' attorney, Michael Sanft, asked MacDonald several times whether he saw the attack with his own eyes and whether he knew who was present at the shooting.
While under oath, McDonald raised his voice and raised his hands, saying he didn't want to answer many of these questions because it "wouldn't benefit" the defendant. At one point, McDonald looked in Davis' direction and said, "Talk to your lawyer, this dude is crazy."
“I don’t want to send him to jail, although we don’t like each other. I don’t want to send you to jail,” McDonald told Davis. The defendant sat stone-faced.
“You're asking me questions that could hurt him,” McDonald told Sanft, not hiding his surprise.
MacDonald ultimately explained that although he did not witness the attack, those who were near Shakur that evening quickly said he was responsible for what happened.
“It was a gang war. People were attacked. People were wanted,” he said. “Orlando [Anderson], him [Davis], and several other certain people were wanted because they were wanted to be killed.”
McDonald added that people wanted revenge for Shakur's death.
“They were the main thing in the gang war, they were in the middle,” he said of Davis and his nephew, noting that he himself was involved in the war.
After finishing his testimony, MacDonald turned to Davis: “What happened to you, brother, is what happened. I don't want to be a part of this."
Reggie Wright Jr., one of Tupac Shakur's bodyguards and a former police officer in Compton, California, also testified on Tuesday. In 1997, he became general manager of Death Row Records.
Days before the trial began, Davis said evidence implicated Wright in Shakur's murder. In court, Kiffie D's lawyers asked what Wright's role was in defending "Suge" Knight (the label head was in the car with Shakur at the time of the attack) and how his role changed after Knight left the label.
“And then you became the general manager,” Sanft said, noting that Wright took over Death Row Records in Knight’s absence. The label was valued at $3 million.
On Wednesday, August 19, several detectives who worked on the case at different times testified in court. Davis told one of them that he was not involved in the rapper's murder and pointed to other potential suspects, including Wright and Sean Combs (known as Puff Daddy and P Diddy). In 2008, however, Davis told investigators that he was in the car at the time of the attack and his nephew Orlando Anderson shot Shakur.
