It’s been 21 years since Tupac Shakur was gunned down in Las Vegas.
The hip hop icon was just 25 years old when he was killed.
Tupac’s death remains a subject of fascination for many, not only because such a tremendous talent was struck down in his prime, but also because of the mysterious circumstances surrounding his murder.
On Sunday night, Fox aired a two-hour documentary entitled Who Shot Biggie & Tupac? and despite the lurid title, the special featured real insights and evidence from those familiar with the cases.
In fact, two police officers with intimate knowledge of the details of the murder offered what they say is the decisive answer to the question of who shot Shakur.
Officers Tim Bennan and Robert Ladd were both employed by the Compton Police Department at the time of Shakur’s murder.
Since the shooting took place in Las Vegas, they were not directly involved with the investigation, but the officers did coordinate with detectives who worked on the case.
Bennan and Ladd say they pointed the investigation in the direction of a man who they still believe is the culprit.
“We believe Orlando Anderson was the one who did it,” Ladd told journalist Soledad O’Brien on last night’s show.
Anderson had been on the LAPD’s radar from the time he attempted to shoot someone as part of a Crips gang initiation when he was just 15.
At the time of Shakur’s death, Anderson was already under investigation for his alleged involvement in a different murder.
Ladd and Bennan say that despite all the theories about elaborate conspiracies surrounding Tupac’s death (many believe jailed former music mogul Suge Knight ordered Shakur’s murder), the motive was no more complex than an old beef amongst gang members.
“They had all these other theories going on, but it was a really simple gang one-on-one to Tim and I,” Ladd says of the investigating officers.
Anderson certainly had motive–he was a member of a rival gang and had once suffered a savage beating at the hands of Shakur’s security team–and Bennan and Ladd say they were able to trace the murder weapon back to him.
Bennan says he found the .40 calibre handgun that was used to murder Shakur in a Compton evidence locker.
A tag stated that it was found at a gang member’s girlfriend’s house.
Officers later learned that that gang member had also been murdered in Las Vegas around the time of Shakur’s death.
Vegas police chose not to pursue the lead, and as a result, Bennan and Ladd say, they allowed a killer to go free.
Anderson was murdered in a dispute over drug money in 1998, which means Bennan and Ladd’s theory will likely remain unproven.
And hopeful fans will continue to theorize that Tupac is still alive somewhere.