The former head of security at Death Row Records opens up about the night Tupac Shakur was shot in Las Vegas, and claims the label felt “too safe” and “complacent” in the city.
Former Head of Security at Death Row Makes Big Claims About the Night Tupac Was Shot
The Guardian published a story on Aug. 2 that details the “secret life of rap bodyguards,” in which interviews with the men hired to protect Tupac Shakur and 6ix9ine are revealed. The discussions detail the dangers of the job when protecting high-profile rappers.
’Pac’s death weighs heavy on Reggie Wright Jr, formerly head of security at Death Row Records during Suge Knight’s run at the label. “My biggest regret is being the one responsible for not saving Tupac’s life,” he shared.
Tupac was shot during a drive-by shooting while riding as a passenger in a BMW Suge Knight was driving near the Las Vegas Strip on Sept. 7, 1996. The West Coast MC died six days later after being hit four times by bullets. Knight was wounded in the head by bullet fragments but survived the shooting.
Wright Jr claims his security team was not able to get licenses to carry guns on the night Tupac was shot. According to Wright Jr, a “complacent” Death Row felt “too safe” in Las Vegas. The alleged cavalier attitude, which is assumed to have been presented by Suge Knight as the head of Death Row, may have been due to the rap mogul owning a club in the area.
Frank Alexander, who was Tupac’s personal bodyguard, was not carrying a gun when the rhymer was shot due to Wright Jr’s revelation that a gun license could not be obtained. Alexander died in 2013, from what a police lieutenant at the time said appeared “to be a suicide.”
“Who would have thought a big celebrity could be murdered on the Las Vegas strip?” Wright Jr added. Over the years, some rap fans put blame on Wright Jr for ’Pac’s death. “They always write that Tupac should have had security guards sitting either side of him, but he had no fear and would never agree to that,” he said.
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The Arrest Made in Tupac Shakur’s Murder Still Leaves Questions Unanswered
Keefe D, born Duane Davis, was arrested last September and charged with murder with use of a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal street gang connected to Tupac Shakur’s death. The arrest came nearly 30 years after the rapper’s passing.
Orlando Anderson, Keefe D’s nephew, is believed to be the gunman. Police said Keefe orchestrated a plan to seek revenge for Anderson allegedly being beaten by Tupac and his entourage on the same night the MC was shot. Keefe reportedly obtained the weapon that was used to kill Tupac and was present during the shooting. Terrence Brown and Deandre Smith were two other men in the vehicle with Anderson and Keefe D when the shots were fired at ’Pac. Anderson, Brown and Smith have since died.
Keefe D, who is currently incarcerated in the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas, has also alleged that Diddy offered him $1 million for a hit on Tupac Shakur. He has pleaded not guilty to Tupac’s murder, leaving many questions remaining as to who is to blame for one of hip-hop’s greatest tragedies.
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