Suge Knight: Diddy “deserves jail” for Tupac’s murder
Tupac Shakur rose to fame as a revolutionary voice in hip-hop, blending activism and artistry before his life was cut short by a still-unresolved 1996 shooting.
Legendary record executive Marion “Suge” Knight, speaking from prison to People, said he believes Sean “Diddy” Combs “does deserve jail” for the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur.
Shakur was fatally shot on September 7, 1996, while riding in a BMW driven by Knight through Las Vegas. A white Cadillac pulled up alongside them, and an occupant opened fire. Shakur was hit four times — in the arm, thigh, and twice in the chest — and died six days later from internal bleeding. Knight sustained a graze wound to the head.
In the interview, Knight said he wants to “take a deep breath and heal” when recalling that night, but added that “Diddy does deserve jail for it.”
Rumors of Combs’ involvement have persisted for decades, stemming from the intense rivalry between his Bad Boy Records and Knight’s Death Row Records. Combs has consistently denied any role in Shakur’s death. In 2008, responding to a since-retracted Los Angeles Times article, Combs told AllHipHop.com that the report was “beyond ridiculous and completely false.”
Suspect in Tupac case links Diddy to alleged murder-for-hire plot
In September 2023, Duane “Keefe D” Davis, a former Crips leader who claims to have been in the Cadillac the night of the shooting, was arrested and charged with orchestrating the murder. He has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and is being held in custody. His trial is scheduled to begin on February 9, 2026.
A July 2024 court filing from the Clark County District Attorney’s Office revealed a previously unreleased 2009 police interview in which Davis, then a confidential informant, claimed Combs was angry over Shakur’s public taunts. Davis also alleged, in a 2008 DEA interview, that Combs had offered him $1 million to kill both Knight and Shakur.
According to grand jury testimony, Davis ultimately gave the “green light” to the shooters in the Cadillac to carry out the attack.
In the 2009 interview, Las Vegas homicide detective Dan Long asked Davis, “Um, Puffy Combs. Does he play a role in this thing?”
“Yeah, I think he did,” Davis replied. “That’s what we think. That’s word on the street.”
Davis claimed Combs feared Knight and once said he would “give anything for his head.” When Davis’ attorney asked if Combs had implied he would pay to have Knight killed, Davis replied, “Yeah, yeah. He said it.”
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department told People in 2024 that “Combs has never been considered a suspect in the Tupac Shakur homicide investigation.”
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