In a startling revelation during the ongoing 2Pac murder trial, former detective Dan Long testified that he was explicitly instructed by the Las Vegas District Attorney’s office to “stand down” on arresting Duane “Keefe D” Davis back in 2009. Long, who served as the lead investigator on the 2Pac homicide case from 2004 to 2017, asserted that he had gathered sufficient evidence to move forward with an arrest at that time.
The testimony centers on a recorded interview conducted by Long in Los Angeles on September 9, 2009. During this session, Keefe D—who was facing unrelated drug charges—attempted to leverage information regarding various criminal activities, including the 1996 shooting of the legendary rapper, in hopes of securing a more favorable legal outcome. According to Long, the suspect provided specific details about the incident, including the involvement of Orlando Anderson and the use of a rented Cadillac.
“My intent was to drive back to Las Vegas, type up a warrant for an arrest, clear it with the district attorney, and have Mr. Davis arrested for murder,” Long explained to the court. However, upon presenting the audio and transcript to the District Attorney’s office, he was met with resistance. Prosecutors reportedly ordered him to hold off, citing a need to review the material, despite Long’s insistence that there was clear probable cause to proceed.
The delay was reportedly complicated by a proffer agreement Keefe D had entered into, which was intended to grant him immunity or reduced charges in exchange for his cooperation. Long testified that his team made exhaustive efforts to uncover the specifics of this agreement, but they were consistently met with dead ends. Furthermore, the detective noted the difficulty in corroborating Keefe D’s claims, as investigations into hospital records on Maryland Parkway and the alleged getaway vehicle failed to yield concrete evidence at the time.
While Long remained dedicated to the case until his retirement in 2017, the legal system did not move to arrest Keefe D for the murder until 2023—fourteen years after the initial interview. This testimony highlights the complex, often frustrating bureaucratic hurdles that have defined the decades-long investigation into one of hip-hop’s most tragic losses.
