The latest revelations regarding the suspect in the Tupac murder—described by an investigator in court as the notorious “ringleader” of the Crips gang.

According to an investigator familiar with the Compton, California area, the Southside Compton Crips were a large and deeply established gang located in the southeast portion of the city. The investigator noted there were over a hundred documented active members, identifying themselves primarily through the color blue, often wearing blue shoestrings, blue rags, or a blue Seattle Mariners baseball cap with an “S” representing the Southside Crips.

Within this gang structure, members progressed through three distinct hierarchical phases. The initial phase was the “Baby Gangster” or “BG” level, generally encompassing ages 12 to 16. During this stage, young recruits were typically “jumped in”—subjected to a brief physical beating by multiple members to prove their toughness. Once accepted, Baby Gangsters primarily engaged in low-level crimes such as graffiti, serving as lookouts, or selling drugs for older members. The second phase, the “Gangster” level, applied to members roughly aged 15 to 26 and was characterized by extreme violence.

Gangsters were actively trying to earn respect, or “stripes,” by committing drive-by shootings, murders, robberies, and carjackings. The final tier was the “OG” or Original Gangster phase, for members aged 25 and older. Having earned their stripes—often including time spent in prison—these older individuals became the “shot callers.” Shot callers were the leaders; they issued orders to the younger gangsters, and disobedience could result in severe consequences ranging from brutal beatdowns to murder.

In the mid-1990s, Dwayne Davis, also known as Keefe D, was confirmed by the investigator to be a high-ranking shot caller within the Southside Compton Crips. He commanded absolute obedience from younger members and operated as a high-level narcotics dealer, trafficking drugs across the United States. His nephew, Orlando Anderson (known as Baby Lane), was actively in the violent “Gangster” phase during this same period. The investigator recalled witnessing Anderson’s initiation into the gang, which involved a shooting aimed at the investigator’s own vehicle.

The Southside Compton Crips maintained a fierce, natural rivalry with the Mob Piru, a Bloods gang located in the northeast section of Compton. The Mob Piru identified with the color red and consisted of approximately 45 to 50 active members. The rivalry between the two groups was deeply entrenched, stemming back to the 1970s simply because one gang wore blue and the other red.

During the mid-1990s, the Mob Piru became heavily associated with Death Row Records, run by Suge Knight, who grew up in the Mob Piru neighborhood. Prominent Mob Piru members acting as Knight’s entourage included Mob James McDonald (an OG), Trayvon Lane (a Gangster), and Alton “Buntry” McDonald (a Gangster).

In gang culture, respect is paramount; any perceived disrespect demands immediate retaliation to maintain credibility in the streets. This cultural mandate set the stage for a massive conflict following an incident at the Lakewood Mall, where Southside Crips attempted to steal a Death Row Records chain from a Mob Piru member. These chains were highly prized medallions given by Suge Knight to his entourage as Christmas presents in 1995. The attempted theft was viewed as a major display of disrespect, guaranteeing future violent confrontations.

This simmering tension erupted following the September 7, 1996, shooting of Tupac Shakur and Suge Knight in Las Vegas. The investigator was immediately alerted by his boss, Reggie Wright Sr., that the shooting was expected to trigger massive retaliation back in Compton, specifically targeting the Southside Crips. Exactly two days after Shakur was shot, the anticipated gang war began. Darnell Brim, a shot caller for the Glenco crew faction of the Southside Crips, was shot multiple times in the back, resulting in a 10-year-old girl being critically injured in the crossfire.

Although the Southside Crips were divided into two factions—Brim’s Glenco crew and Davis’s Birth crew—the Mob Piru did not differentiate between them when seeking retaliation. Over a 10-day period following the Vegas shooting, the conflict resulted in three murders and ten attempted murder drive-by shootings directly tied to the war between the Mob Piru and the Southside Crips. For the investigator, the fact that Mob Piru specifically targeted the Southside Crips out of 54 possible rival gangs confirmed that the Southside Crips were responsible for the Las Vegas shooting.

In October 1996, the investigator and his partner orchestrated multi-house search warrants targeting both gangs. Their primary goal was to quell the violence in Compton, but they also aimed to assist the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. By arresting key gang members on narcotics or weapons charges, they hoped to gather the individuals involved in the Shakur shooting and facilitate interviews for Las Vegas detectives.