Aug. 17 (UPI) — Opening statements took place Monday in Las Vegas in the murder trial of Duane “Keffe D” Davis, who is accused of arranging the fatal shooting of rapper Tupac Shakur nearly 30 years ago.

Davis was arrested in September 2023, charged with murder with the use of a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang. Prosecutors accused Davis is supplying the weapon used by the South Side Crips gang to shoot Shakur in a drive-by shooting on Sept. 7, 1996. The hip-hop artist died six days later. Davis has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

On Monday, prosecutors in the case called Shakur’s killing “an act of revenge” and said Davis showed “visceral anger” at the othr man for years, CNN reported, while the defense said there weren’t enough facts in the case.

In the prosecution’s opening statement, prosecutor Binu Palal spoke to the jury through the gang feud that formed the background for the shooting, The New York Times reported. Jurors saw hotel security footage of Shakur and his entourage assaulting Orlando Anderson, one of Davis’ nephews, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas not long before the shooting.

Davis sought revenge for that assault, Palal said.

“In his world,” Palal said of Davis, “there is no question that a response was required.”

The prosecutor also shared what The Times described as a “highlight reel” of times Davis talked about his role in the shooting in interviews over the past decade.

Davis’ attorney, Michael Sanft, told the jury that Davis as known to embellish or outright lie. He told them to focus on facts and evidence in the case.

“The state cannot prove to you beyond a reasonable doubt the claim that Keffe had anything to do with first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon,” Sanft said.

After the opening statements, the jurors heard from four witnesses, including an officer who’d pulled over Shakur’s car that night and a woman who’d been in a car following Shakur’s vehicle.

The trial formally began last week with jury selection. Prosecutors also released an official witness list that included more than 200 names. Among them are Marion “Suge” Knight, the co-founder of Death Row Records, with which Shakur had a contract. Knight was in the vehicle with Shakur the night he was shot. Knight was also injured in the shooting.

Knight, 61, who is serving a 28-year sentence for involuntary manslaughter in an unrelated case, said he won’t testify.

Also on the witness list was Kirk Burrowes, the president of Bad Boy Records. The record company was allegedly connected with the Crips gang in New York City, while Death Row Records was allegedly associated with the Bloods gang in Los Angeles.

Rapper Biggie Smalls — also known as the Notorious B.I.G. — was signed with Bad Boy Records. He was killed in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles about six months after Shakur’s death.

Burrowes has accused rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs of orchestrating Shakur’s shooting. Combs, who has denied this, is serving a 50-month prison sentence for two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.