Tupac Shakur’s Stepbrother Says Reopening Rapper’s Murder Case Is ‘Not About’ Diddy ‘Specifically’

The late Tupac Shakur’s stepbrother, Mopreme Shakur, explained why his family is now looking into Sean “Diddy” Combs’ possible involvement in Tupac’s murder.

“The family is pursuing an investigation into my brother’s death — wherever the investigation leads, that’s where it leads,” Mopreme, 57, said during a Friday, October 11, appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored. “It’s not about [Diddy] specifically, it’s about justice for my brother.”

He continued, “It’s been an ongoing mystery for 27 years. With the arrest in Vegas [last year], there was a break, an opportunity to get closer to the truth. This is ongoing business for us. My family pursued an investigation, early on, soon after his murder, of which nothing came of it. So, we were left with no answers for 27 years.”

Tupac was killed following a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in September 1996. A suspect, Duane “Keefe D” Davis, was arrested in September 2023, though police have said that he was not the gunman, and the murder remains unsolved. According to a police press conference, Davis was described as the “shot caller.” Davis pleaded not guilty to the singular count of murder with a deadly weapon and is expected to stand trial in March 2025.

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“As far as the hip-hop/rap world goes, Tupac, my brother, was king of the hill, top dog, King of Rap, and with it comes a lot of envy, jealousy and all types of things,” Mopreme said on Friday. “All I can make of it is there were groups of people who were jealous and envious and full of hate.”

Aside from Davis, no suspects have been confirmed or charged with a crime. Some observers have long tried to connect Diddy, 54, to the murder, but the now-disgraced music mogul has vehemently denied any involvement. (Diddy has not been charged in connection to Tupac’s death.)

“This story is beyond ridiculous and completely false,” Diddy said in a 2008 statement. “Neither Biggie [the late Notorious B.I.G., a.k.a. Christopher Wallace] nor I had any knowledge of any attack before, during or after it happened. It is a complete lie to suggest that there was any involvement by Biggie or myself.”

Speaking to host Piers Morgan, Mopreme expressed his “doubts” about Diddy’s denial but said he primarily wants justice for Tupac’s untimely death.

“My family is still suffering fallout from the assassination of my brother’s murder,” Mopreme said. “My family still suffers. So, the struggle continues on finding out the truth.”

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According to Mopreme, he also spoke with Diddy in 2008 about the investigation.

“He was in L.A. at the time, he was on the radio. He asked a local DJ that we all know, Big Boy, to reach out to me because he wanted to speak to me about something,” Mopreme claimed. “We all were familiar with all the rumors and stuff. I said, ‘Yeah, let me talk to him.’ So he called me and I had my guys with me, thug life guys, and we heard what he had to say. He’s basically said he ain't had nothing to do with my brother’s murder. And I told him, ‘The truth is still yet to come out, so we gonna see.’”

When Diddy released his initial denial statement, Mopreme did not think it was “100 percent honest.”

“We have to find out what is true and what’s false, what’s real and what’s fake,” Mopreme said, alluding to the possibility that Diddy had been lying about his connection to the case. "It’s kinda looking that way, in my opinion.”

Diddy, meanwhile, was arrested in September on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution unrelated to Tupac’s death. He pleaded not guilty to all counts before a judge denied him bail. Diddy was remanded to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn until his trial and was denied bail on two subsequent appeals.

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“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” Diddy’s attorney Marc Agnifilo told Us Weekly in a statement last month. “Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children and working to uplift the Black community.”

Agnifilo added, “He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal. To his credit, Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges.”

A judge ruled on Thursday, October 10, that Diddy’s trial will begin on May 5, 2025.

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