Slain Rapper’s Mother Moves Ahead With Suit

The mother of slain rap artist Tupac Shakur is moving forward with a civil lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court hoping to achieve something police haven’t been able to - solve her son’s murder.

The wrongful-death lawsuit, filed in September by Afeni Shakur, contends that Orlando Anderson, a reputed Los Angeles gang member police once named as a suspect, gunned down Shakur 18 months ago on the Las Vegas Strip.

“There were two crimes committed here,” said Shakur estate attorney Richard Fischbein. “One is that Tupac was killed. The other is that no competent police investigation into his murder followed. It’s a shame that the mother of the murder victim is put in a position to have to do the work of the Las Vegas Police Department.”

Attorneys for Shakur say they have spent more time than the Las Vegas police questioning Anderson, who has denied any role in Shakur’s killing. On Feb. 26, Shakur’s lawyers interviewed Anderson for six hours during a court deposition in which the Lakewood, Calif., resident contradicted previous accounts he gave to law enforcement authorities regarding events before Shakur’s murder.

According to the suit, the rapper’s shooting followed a fight in the hotel lobby between Shakur’s entourage and Anderson.

Later that evening, Shakur and a colleague were stopped for a red light on the Las Vegas strip when a white Cadillac pulled up in the next lane. According to the suit, Anderson was riding in the Cadillac and opened fire into the car, fatally wounding Shakur.