Jada Pinkett Smith shared her reaction to the arrest of a suspect in connection with the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur.
In a post on her Instagram Story, Smith said that she hopes for “closure” over the death of Shakur, following the news of the suspect’s arrest on Friday.
She said, “Now I hope we can get some answers and have some closure. R.I.P. Pac.”
It was reported on Friday by the Associated Press and ABC News that the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department had captured Duane “Keffe D” Davis as a suspect in link to the killing of Shakur, who died by shooting on September 13, 1996.
The detention is the first major development in the case since the incident happened 27 years ago.
Davis was brought into custody on Friday morning, according to the AP. The arrested suspect was charged with one count of killing with a gang enhancement. He was described as the “on-ground, on-site commander” who “ordered the death” of Shakur by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department at a press conference on Friday, per AP.
On September 7, 1996, Shakur was shot four times as he was in a car on his route to a nightclub in Las Vegas. The rapper was at the peak of his career at the time and died from his injuries on September 13. Despite speculation on his killing, the case went cold shortly afterward.
Smith has said publicly many times about her close bond with Shakur — who she has said was her “best friend.”
The duo first met as students at the Baltimore School of the Arts in Maryland.
Pinkett Smith once said in an interview, “It was the first day and he came over to me and introduced himself. Definitely from looking at him, wasn’t necessarily the type of cat that I would even like, to deal with.”
She continued, “But as soon as he approached me, he was like a magnet. Once you paid attention to him he kind of sucked you in. And we hit it off from that moment on.”
Smith described Shakur as a “brother” and “father figure” to her.
She emotionally added, “The type of relationship we had…you only get that once in a lifetime…”
In a 2015 interview with Howard Stern, Smith also talked about her relationship with Shakur.
She said of Shakur, “I’ve never in my life met a person like Pac. He had so much charisma.”
Smith disclosed that she and Shakur tried to take their relationship further at one moment as they kissed — but they both felt that it didn’t feel right.
She continued, “Being older, I have more of an understanding of what that was between us.”
“When you have two young people that have very strong feelings, but there was no physical chemistry between us at all.”
