By Cathy Scott
Metro Police say they believe they know who shot to death rapper Tupac
Shakur, but the investigation is at a standstill until witnesses come forward
with harder evidence.
Shakur, 25, was gunned down Sept. 7 on East Flamingo Road as he sat at a
stoplight near the Strip in a car driven by record label owner Marion "Suge"
Knight. Knight, 31, received a minor head wound from shrapnel.
Shakur, one of rap's most successful and notorious singers and an actor, was
shot four times after the Mike Tyson-Bruce Seldon boxing match. He
died six days later at University Medical Center.
"We have no direct evidence, nor do we have a witness," said homicide Sgt.
Kevin Manning. "That's where we stand until somebody comes forward and is
willing to stand up and give us accurate information."
Manning said investigators believe they know what type of gun was used,
but he did not elaborate. Information reported early in the investigation
indicated that a semiautomatic handgun was used.
But even if a gun were recovered, Manning said, "we still would have
difficulty putting that weapon in the actual shooter's possession. Now, it's
been too long. Even with fingerprints, it wouldn't be too useful."
The only witness to the shooting who said he would be able to identify
the assailant was Yafeu Fula, 19, a member of Shakur's backup group, the
Outlaws Immortalz. Fula was sitting with bodyguards in the car behind Shakur
when the rapper was shot.
But Fula was murdered Nov. 8. He was found slumped on a floor with a single
gunshot wound to his head in a third-floor hallway of a low-income housing
project in Irvington, N.J.
"Our last great hope was Yafeu Fula," Manning said. "That was something we
felt had some real promise to it."
Just before Fula's death, investigators were trying to schedule a photo
lineup and interview.
Two teenagers were arrested on Nov. 13 by Orange, N.J., police and charged with
Fula's murder. Orange Police say they don't believe Fula's death was connected
to Shakur's homicide.
Metro Police agree.
"Based on the information we received from (Orange Police), we don't think
there's a connection to Tupac," Manning said.
Police say they have received little cooperation from other potential
witnesses.
Knight, who was driving with Shakur when the shooting occurred, wasn't
interviewed by police until four days after the shooting. When Knight finally
came forward, he offered no new information, police said.
Other witnesses, including bodyguards, told police they didn't see anything.
Detectives were hopeful that an interview of Orlando Anderson, 22,
arrested in Los Angeles during an Oct. 3 gang sweep, would provide new
evidence.
Anderson was held in Los Angeles for questioning by Metro
detectives in connection with the Shakur
shooting. Anderson's family released a statement denying he was connected to
Shakur's killing. Anderson has not been charged with Shakur's homicide.
Anderson was beaten by Shakur's entourage inside the MGM Grand hotel-casino
after the Tyson boxing match, just hours before Knight and Shakur were
shot. Knight was seen in a surveillance videotape inside the casino
participating in the Anderson beating.
Knight, a former UNLV football player, faces up to nine years in
prison if his parole is revoked for a previous
assault conviction because of his participation in the MGM beating.
The sweep was aimed at gang members implicated in as many as a dozen
shootings in the Compton, Calif., area in which three people were killed,
possibly in retaliation for Shakur's slaying, Compton Police said.
January 20, 1997
Lack of a witness
aids Tupac's killer
LAS VEGAS SUN