Las Vegas police serve search warrant in Tupac Shakur killing investigation

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Authorities in Nevada served a search warrant this week in connection with the long-unsolved killing of rapper Tupac Shakur nearly 30 years ago, they confirmed Tuesday.

Shakur, one of the most prolific figures in hip-hop, was killed on the night of Sept. 7, 1996, in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas. He was 25.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said the search warrant was executed Monday in the nearby city of Henderson. It’s unclear what they were looking for and where they were looking.

Department spokesperson Aden OcampoGomez said in a brief phone call that he couldn’t provide further details on the latest development in the case, citing the open investigation.

Shakur was gunned down while sitting inside a black car with Marion “Suge” Knight, head of Death Row Records. Police have said the two were stopped at a red light near the Las Vegas Strip when a white Cadillac pulled up next to them and gunfire erupted.

Shot multiple times, Shakur was rushed to a hospital, where he died a week later.

No arrests have ever been made. Las Vegas police have said in the past that the investigation quickly stalled in part because witnesses refused to cooperate.

Nevada does not have a statute of limitations for prosecuting homicide cases.

Largely considered one of the most influential and versatile rappers of all time, the six-time Grammy Award -nominated Shakur has had five No. 1 albums: 1995’s “Me Against the World,” 1996’s “All Eyez on Me,” and three posthumous releases: 1996’s “The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory,” which was recorded under the name Makaveli, as well as 2001’s “Until the End of Time” and 2004’s “Loyal to the Game.”

In 2017, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame by Snoop Dogg. In June of this year, the rapper received a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He’s also had some museum exhibits that paid homage to his life, including “Tupac Shakur. Wake Me When I’m Free,” which opened in 2021.

His professional music career only lasted five years, but Shakur secured 21 Billboard Hot 100s, including top 10 hits “Dear Mama” and “Old School” in 1995, and his best-known track, 1996’s “How Do U Want It/California Love” featuring K-Ci and JoJo. The latter spent two weeks at the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 from his final studio album and Death Row Records debut, “All Eyez on Me.”

According to entertainment data company Luminate, Shakur has sold 33 million albums, 41 million when including track sale and streaming equivalents. The rapper’s on-demand video and audio streams total 10.1 billion.

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Associated Press reporter Jonathan Landrum in Los Angeles contributed to this story. Sherman reported from Los Angeles.