On September 7th 1996 gunshots were fired at a car that was containing Tupac Shakur and Suge Knight. As a result 2Pac died six days later in Hospital. There were a few suspects in the case but no one has ever been charged with the murder and most probably never will. I have looked at all of the suspects and their reasons to kill 2Pac and I have made a list of the most likely suspects. These are my own opinions and are not meant to offend anybody.
Marion "Suge" Knight
Suge Knight is the CEO if Death Row Records and is currently serving 9 years for assault and is set to be released this summer. 2Pac was signed to Death Row at the time of the shooting. When 2Pac was in jail in 1995 Suge bailed him out for $1.4 million and in return 2Pac signed a 3 album deal with Death Row Records. At the time of the shooting 2Pac had completed "Don Killuminati The 7 Day Theory" (which they were listening to when he got shot) which would have been his third recording for Death Row because "All Eyez On Me" was a double disc and he was set to leave Death Row and form his own company called Makaveli Records. At the time 2Pac was Death Row's main artist at the time who was making them the most money so with 2Pac gone he would be in direct competition with them and Death Row would be loosin' heaps of money. It was also said by some people from Death Row that just prior to 2Pac's death him and Suge hadn't been as close as they had been previously because 2Pac was angry with Suge for not showing him any paperwork but Suge hadn't produced any because he knew 2Pac was leaving Death Row.
At the time of the shooting, Tupac and Suge were in a car together and Suge was driving. The were going to "Club 662" were Tupac would perform. When they stopped at a red light, a white cadillac pulled up and a man popped his head and arm out of the back window, and opened fire. Around 13 shots were fired, 4 of them hit Tupac and Suge wasn't hit once (apart from a graze to the head). Immediately, Suge did a u-turn, and sped away. When he was stopped, he told police that he was trying to get Tupac to a hospital. However, there was a hospital almost next door to were they were originally going (Club 662). Why didn't Suge keep going straight? He obviously knew that there was a hospital near Club 662 because some people say that he owned it, so why did he go in the opposite direction?
After 2Pac died his mother was shocked to find out that he only had $150, 000 to his name despite all of the money that he had made for Death Row. So despite earning millions for Death Row 2Pac never received his money. Death Row supposedly owed him $9 million. After 2Pac died he had left over 200 unreleased songs so with 2Pac dead he couldn't take all of his unreleased songs to Makaveli Records so Death Row would have had all of the rights to his songs. But Afeni Shakur sued Death Row for $17 million and received all of 2Pac's unreleased material which didn't rightfully belong to Death Row anyway. Suge said that it was actually 2Pac who owed Death Row money about $4.6 million he said that Death Row paid for everything of 2Pac's his jewelry, his mom's house and his cars but after this Death Row still apparently owed 2Pac $9 million. When 2Pac died Death Row also reclaimed all of his stuff. Also 2Pac made over $60 million for Death Row and with him dead Death Row could keep the money that they owed him.
2Pac also wondered where the money from his record sails was going but Suge never gave him a straight answer he just kept on giving him jewelry and cars until the next time 2Pac asked him.
Many people think Suge had 2Pac killed to boost record sales. Because Suge could have predicted that with 2Pac dead he would have sold a lot more records because of the publicity so he would have become more famous. So Suge though that the 200 unreleased songs would be worth millions until Afeni stepped in with her lawsuit. While 2Pac was alive Suge had to support his lifestyle and with 2Pac dead he would have been making money from his records but he wouldn't have had to support his lifestyle.
On 2Pac's first posthumous album Don Killuminati at the beginning of the album you can hear a voice softly saying "Suge Shot Me." This album was also released on Death Row.
If Suge did get 2Pac killed it didn't work out very well because he was later sent to Prison for Parole Violation for his part in assaulting Orlando Anderson.
Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson
In my opinion I think that Orlando Anderson is the most likely of all the assailants. Because he had all of the motives and was a member of The Southside Crips.
Just 3 hours before 2Pac was shot an assault involving 2Pac and his entourage (including Suge Knight) was captured on the Security Camera of the MGM Grand where Orlando Anderson was being assaulted. The assault was a result of Anderson stealing a Death Row necklace belonging to Tray Dee who was affiliated with Death Row and the Piru Bloods at a Compton Mall. Anderson and his entourage (all Crip members) according to Tray Dee jumped him and 2 of his friends then Anderson snatched his Death Row necklace off him. So on the night of 2Pac's death Tray Dee was with him and noticed Orlando in the MGM Grand then notified 2Pac and Suge. 2Pac walked over to Orlando and said "You from the South?" the knocked him to the ground then about the entire Death Row entourage proceeded in kicking and punching him. This happened after the Tyson fight and about 3 hours before 2Pac was shot.
At 11:10 pm, Tupac and Suge were stopped at a red light when a white cadillac pulled up beside them and opened fire on 2Pac and Suge. Witnesses say that the cadillac contained 4 black men. These men could have been Anderson and his crew out for revenge for the earlier assault.
Many people said that Orlando wouldn't have had time to shoot 2Pac but Suge and 2Pac went to get changed and Orlando refused to press charges, could this have been because he was going to get his revenge later on in the night.
After the shooting, Anderson was reported to be bragging about how he shot Tupac around his neighborhood. The police strongly believed that it was Anderson who killed Tupac but despite this, they hadn't got enough evidence to convict the known member of the Southside Crips. Even when Compton police were making lots of house raids of suspected gang members after Tupac's death and they found guns in Anderson's house, Anderson said that he didn't live there, that it was his uncle's house, that he lived next door, even though a certificate with Anderson's name was hanging on the wall. Anderson continued bragging (apparently) but the police just couldn't gather enough evidence to charge him even after they arrested him.
Anderson proclaimed his innocence to the media. He appeared on CNN and said, "I just want everyone to know, you know what I'm saying, that I didn't do it." He even said that Tupac was his favourite rapper and that he still listened to him.
The Shakur estate filed a lawsuit against Anderson because of 2Pac's death then Anderson filed a Counter suit against the Shakur estate because he said that he couldn't even get a job anymore because of his name being related to 2Pac's death. Anderson was shot dead in 1998 at a car wash in Compton during the time of the trial which was believed to be involved with 2Pac's death.
Southside Crips
There is a possibility that the bullets that killed 2Pac were not meant for him but, were meant for Suge Knight. 2Pac could have been caught up in the ongoing Bloods and Crips feud. With Suge being a known member of the Piru Bloods and always dressing in red to symbolise that and he was holding a red flag at the time of the shooting. So it may have been members of the Crips in the white Cadillac going after Suge. 2Pac was not thought to be a member of the Bloods and in some songs he said it doesn't matter if your a member of the Bloods or Crips.
Well if this is true you may be wondering why 2Pac was shot and not Suge. Well 2Pac dived across to protect Suge and my have been willing to die for his homeboy.
King Tut
King Tut was a member of New York's Black Mafia that allegedly financed Bad Boy Records. He was sent to prison in 1996 and it was there he admitted shooting 2Pac in 1994. When 2Pac was shot and robbed in 1994 he suspected that Biggie and Puffy set him up but with King Tut admitting after 2Pac died that he shot him Biggie and Puffy may not have had to a choice but to set him up. 2Pac was said to have rejected a contract by Bad Boy in 1994 so as retaliation The Black Mafia tried to kill him.
This in my opinion is what went down: 2Pac was supposed to die in 1994 in retaliation for not signing for Bad Boy. But he survived was sent to prison and when he got out he dissed Bad Boy and everyone from the East. King Tut didn't like this so on September 7th 1996 went along to Las Vegas to finish off the job.
King Tut was later killed in 1998.
