A memory. One evening when I was eighteen years old I came home after my night shift at McDonald’s to a police officer standing in my driveway next to my second used car, a fly burgundy ’78 Volvo. He informed me that my car had been seen leaving the scene of a crime. Allegedly someone had driven my car to break into another car in my neighborhood and steal an amplifier. Since I had walked to work that evening and had left my car at home I knew I hadn’t committed the crime. So I turned to look at my younger, more “criminally active” brother who was standing on my front stoop and was welcomed by the guilt ridden expression on his face. It was then that Mr. Officer leaned over and whispered into my ear, “I know your brother did this, just get him to say he did it.” After the pig asked me to snitch on my own brother, I turned back around and stretched out both of my arms to be handcuffed.
That evening cemented in my mind, along with years of personal experience and healthy doses of N.W.A., Geto Boys, and Eightball & MJG, that pigs have an ethical responsibility to be as unethical as possible in patrolling and controlling mine and your community. So when I got a chance to speak with the lead investigator in the Tupac Shakur murder case, Sgt. Kevin Manning, my level of trust in his integrity regarding this case was nil. Unfortunately, nothing Sgt. Manning had to say to me in our conversation reversed my initial wary feeling.
You see, much like David Roger, the District Attorney in Vegas, Sgt. Kevin Manning just doesn’t appear interested in this case. So if you feel the need to motivate Mr. Manning into submitting a case to the District Attorney for prosecution in the murder of Tupac Shakur, give him a call at (702) 229-3521 or send him a motivational message at: k2434m@lvmpd.com. Everyone needs motivation once in awhile. [The views expressed by this writer don’t necessarily reflect the opinions of AllHipHop.com]
Allhiphop.com: Who do you believe murdered Tupac Shakur?
Kevin Manning: Who I personally believe (murdered him) doesn’t matter. It’s the evidence that matters, not my personal belief.
Allhiphop: According to Det. Brent Becker in a statement he made to Primetime Live, in 1996 your department knew who murdered Tupac Shakur. So why then wasn’t a report with recommendations for prosecution submitted to the District Attorney in this case?
Kevin Manning: As of this date, and its been this way since day one, there is no evidence to submit to the District Attorney for a prosecution of anyone.
Allhiphop: So that statement that he made to Primetime Live in 1996 – “we know who did this, we just don’t have anyone willing to come forward” – was that accurate or inaccurate?
Kevin Manning: He had his belief as to who’s responsible; I have my belief as to who’s responsible. And as I said from the beginning, my belief doesn’t matter; it’s the evidence that matters.
Allhiphop: Is there still a lack of witness issue, as he alluded to, with this investigation?
Kevin Manning: When I say evidence, that includes direct evidence that would come from witnesses and any circumstantial evidence. And as of today we have no evidence that would implicate any individual.
Allhiphop: So you don’t even have a prime suspect?
Kevin Manning: Once again, we have no evidence, circumstantial or direct, which would implicate any one or more individuals.
Allhiphop: Was there any circumstantial evidence at any point to try and take this case to a grand jury?
Kevin Manning: If we had that we would have done that.
Allhiphop: In most gang killings there are no willing witnesses, so why couldn’t this case have been proven without witness testimony?
Kevin Manning: The only direct evidence that we have in this case is nothing that can connect to an individual, and so the only thing left is either circumstantial or witness testimony, and since we don’t have any witnesses who’ve ever come forward to say that they recognized or saw anyone commit this crime there’s nothing to submit to a grand jury or to the District Attorney for prosecution.
Allhiphop: Do you believe that there were any eyewitnesses to the murder in addition to Yafeu “Kadafi” Fula?
Kevin Manning: There was a bunch of eyewitnesses, including Suge Knight himself.
Allhiphop: Do you believe Mr. Knight was deliberately uncooperative in the investigation?
Kevin Manning: You’d have to ask him that question.
Allhiphop: Why weren’t ballistics test done on the .40 caliber Glock that was believed to belong to Orlando Anderson to see if the gun matched the bullets found in Tupac’s body?
Kevin Manning: I don’t know where you’re getting your information from, but we’ve done testing on numerous weapons over the years. And I’m not gonna get into specifics, who’s weapons we have or have not tested.
Allhiphop: There wasn’t a .40 caliber Glock recovered from the house that Orlando Anderson was believed to reside in?
Kevin Manning: I know for a fact that the information from the cartridge cases and the like has been entered into the national system and there has never been a match.
Allhiphop: Why wasn’t Tim Brennan’s affidavit (see Chuck Philips – “Me Against The World”) enough circumstantial evidence to seek an indictment against Orlando Anderson for Tupac’s murder?
Kevin Manning: Because it has no evidence in it. There’s a lot of hearsay, and that’s not sufficient for prosecution.
Allhiphop: Can you tell me if the information in the affidavit was ever followed up, were those witnesses ever re-interviewed by your department?
Kevin Manning: We’ve talked to hundreds and hundreds of people over the years. And once again, as of today, no one has ever provided any evidence that’s substantial and would be needed for an indictment.
Allhiphop: According to a statement made by Orlando Anderson to Chuck Philips, as of October of 1996 your office informed him that he was no longer a suspect in Tupac’s murder, is this correct?
Kevin Manning: No.
Allhiphop: So he remained a suspect after October of 1996?
Kevin Manning: As far as I’m concerned the whole world is a suspect, including you. We have not eliminated anyone.
Allhiphop: Was Suge Knight ever removed as a suspect?
Kevin Manning: As I said, we have not eliminated anyone as a potential suspect.
Allhiphop: What’s the best tip that you’ve received so far in this case?
Kevin Manning: We’ve received hundreds and hundreds (of tips), from telling us that Suge Knight is responsible, telling us that Tupac’s still alive, telling us that the ghost of Tony Spilotro is responsible because they were in the house that was used in Casino, that his spirit was angry. It runs the whole gamut, from nonsensical to plausible.
(writer’s note: Suge Knight owned the home in Las Vegas that was used for the film “Casino,” and which was once owned by infamous Capo of the Chicago Crime Family Tony Spilotro, who was sent to Vegas in the ‘70’s to run the Circus Circus Casino, and who in 1986 was buried alive in an Indiana cornfield)
Allhiphop: Didn’t you receive multiple tips implicating Orlando Anderson immediately after the murder?
Kevin Manning: Oh absolutely.
Allhiphop: Was that the most received tip by your department?
Kevin Manning: No, I would say the largest volume of information that we’ve received has been that Tupac is still alive.
Allhiphop: Do you recall when the most recent tip has come in?
Kevin Manning: We still get calls weekly.
Allhiphop: When was the last interview of anyone pertaining to this case conducted?
Kevin Manning: Probably within the last six months.
Allhiphop: Has this case been placed into inactive status?
Kevin Manning: No. And we pursue any tips that come in that appear to have any validity and what we believe have some attachment to the evidence as we know it.
Allhiphop: Do you intend to ever submit a case to the District Attorney for prosecution if you don’t have a witness come forward and identify the shooter?
Kevin Manning: No, because as I said we have no evidence at this point that would implicate any individual.
Allhiphop: Maybe I misphrased that, let’s say that for some reason or another the circumstantial evidence becomes overwhelming but you still don’t have an eyewitness come forward, would you then go to the District Attorney?
Kevin Manning: If we have the evidence that we feel comes to the standard of probable cause we’ll submit the case.
Allhiphop: Even without any eyewitnesses?
Kevin Manning: Yeah, we don’t need an eyewitness to do that but we need enough evidence to reach the standard of probable cause.
