Witness Gets Into Heated Exchange During Testimony in Tupac Trial

August 19, 2026

Day two of Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis’ trial for the murder of Tupac Shakur featured a heated exchange between attorneys and a former security guard for Death Row Records who was not happy to be there.

On Tuesday (Aug. 18), James McDonald, a former Death Row Records associate and Bloods gang member also known as MOB James, took the stand. James was in Las Vegas on the night Pac was fatally shot, and said he was working in a security capacity for Death Row at the time. However, he’s adamant that he did not witness the shooting.

James became increasingly frustrated as attorneys questioned him about who he believed was responsible for Tupac’s death. At one point, he directly addressed Keffe, who was a member of the Bloods’ rival South Side Compton Crips, and let him know that while he still does not like him, he has no plans of being the man to put Keffe behind bars.

“I don’t want to send you to prison, even though we don’t like each other,” James told Keffe.

He got even more agitated when attorneys continued pressing him about the people involved in the shooting.

“You ask me something I don’t wanna talk about, you’re gonna have a problem,” he said. “Treat me as a hostile witness.”

James said he was only testifying because he had been subpoenaed and didn’t want to be held in contempt of court. He doubled down on his statement that he wasn’t part of Tupac’s entourage when the shooting happened before being excused from the stand.

Day three of the trial will begin at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday (Aug. 19). The full trial is expected to last about six weeks. Keffe D is facing life in prison if convicted of orchestrating the 1996 murder.

Check out the video of James ‘MOB James’ McDonald on the witness stand below.