September 7, 1996 was a great night in Las Vegas as fans came out to watch the notorious; Boxing match between Mike Tyson vs. Bruce Seldon. 25 year old Tupac Shakur, one of the hip hop world’s most influential figures, was among the attendees.
During the fight, Shakur and Death Row Records head Suge Knight departed the MGM Grand Hotel in Knight’s BMW. And for the night to continue in celebration they were going to Club 662, an establishment that doubled as a nightclub.
Police briefly pulled the car over for loud music and no visible license plates. But after finding the plates in the trunk the duo were allowed to go without being given a citation.
At around 11:Around 15 p.m. while driving to work, a white Cadillac pulled up beside them at East Flamingo Road and Koval Lane. Suddenly the gunfire broke from the Cadillac, hitting Shakur multiple times.
One bullet pierced the right lung, once the arm and once the chest, twice the chest and hit once the thigh and twice the arm, was all Tupac was hit with. Bullet fragments grazed Knight near his head but he suffered only minor injuries.
Chris Carroll, bike patrol sergeant with Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, were among the first to arrive on scene. He found bloody car, a critically wounded Shakur and chaos.
Opening the BMW’s door, Carroll says he could see blood gushing from Tupac’s body as he wore gold jewelry. The rapper fell into his arms and the image will ‘sit with me forever,’ Carroll said.
Shakur was conscious initially despite his injuries, he tried to communicate. The officer said he thought Suge Knight, who was yelling his name, got more of the rapper’s attention than he did.
Shakur’s condition was grave, said Carroll, and he hoped to get a ‘dying declaration.’ Such a statement would be admissible in court, and could be the difference between the shooter being convicted or let go.
“I asked him, ‘Who shot you? What happened?’” Carroll later recounted. Meekly he appeared, struggling visibly, offering the officer a glimmer of hope that Shakur may answer.
Atmosphere was tense, Shakur trying to breath, his life slipping away in moments. Carroll continued to ask the question, hoping a name or any valuable clue would be forthcoming.
The rapper finally found the energy to speak. The next thing was something Carroll will never forget.
Shakur’s defiant reply broke through the chaos: “F**k you.” Uttered in his final moments of consciousness, these two words of his would become a poignant reminder of the rapper’s indomitable spirit.
Doctors worked to save Tupac’s life at University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, where he was rushed. But, even after their efforts, he died of his injuries six days later on September 13, 1996.
But the case was reignited in recent years when Duane ‘Keefe D’ Davis was arrested and confessed to being in the car from which the shots were fired. Davis pleaded not guilty with his trial scheduled for March 2025.
The death of Tupac Shakur still remains a mystery. Yet the chilling story of his last words adds to a story of a man whose life and death draw the world’s attention.
Feature Image Credit: (YouTube/The Art Of Dialogue)