Tupac Murder Trial: McDonald Didn't Want to "Snitch"

The trial of Duane "Keffe D" Davis for the murder of Tupac Shakur is attracting a lot of public attention, and as CNN reports, on the second day of the trial, former member of the Mob Piru Bloods gang, James McDonald, testified, making it clear that he would rather be anywhere else.

When asked by prosecutor Bin Palal whether he had volunteered to testify, he replied: "Not by any chance."

The reluctant testimony of former associate of Death Row Records owner Marion "Suga" Knight provided the most dramatic moments of the second day of the trial. Emotions ran high during testimony about a violent conflict between the Crips and Bloods gangs in Los Angeles, CNN reports.

“Anytime you’re dealing with gang life, violence can happen at any time,” said McDonald, who was managing security at Knight’s 662 Club in Las Vegas the night Shakur was killed.

When the prosecutor asked him if he remembered situations in which disagreements escalated into violence, McDonald replied:

"Are you serious? Don't ask me that here."

He added that there was great tension between members of different neighborhoods.

On the night Shakur was shot, McDonald helped organize security at the 662 Club, where Knight and Shakur were planning to go. However, the two were attacked in a car about a mile from the club.

Prosecutors allege that Davis obtained the gun used to kill Shakur and was in the car from which the shots were fired. Prosecutors say the killing was part of a spiral of violence between the Crips and Bloods gangs, linked to Davis' nephew Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson, who is believed to have shot Shakur. Anderson was killed in a separate gang fight two years later.

McDonald, now 61 and a grandfather, says he has retired from gang life. However, he says the conflict between Death Row Records, the leading West Coast rap label, and Bad Boy Records, run on the East Coast by Sean “Puffy” Combs, has reignited the relative lull between the Crips and the Bloods.

"There was peace, and then the two record companies clashed. Bad Boy went to Keffe Da, and Suge came to us. So it all got intertwined and, yeah, we had problems," McDonald said.

When questioned about the specific activities of other gang members, McDonald seemed visibly uncomfortable. Although he renounced his gang life and admitted that he still disliked Davis, he made it clear that he would not “sniff on” anyone, even under court orders.

“You’re asking me questions I can’t answer,” he said, occasionally glancing toward the judge.

When asked for the names of the people who were at Club 662 on the night of the murder, he addressed Davis directly:

"Talk to your lawyer, man. This guy is going crazy."

At one point, McDonald completely lost patience with Davis' attorney, Michael Sanft, who was demanding more details about the gang's activities.

"I won't send him to prison. You will!" he shouted to the lawyer.

Although he did not personally witness Shakur's murder, McDonald, whose brother Alton "Buntry" McDonald was involved in the attack on Anderson the night Shakur was killed, said his gang members knew immediately that revenge would ensue.

"The puck was shot. Retaliation was inevitable. It was really, really serious," he said.

After McDonald's heated testimony, Reggie Wright Jr., who was the head of security for Death Row Records at the time and also a police officer in Compton, California, spoke in court.

He explained that his work for Knight's organization was different from the role of McDonald, who he knew was a member of the Bloods.

Tensions between the East and West Coasts were growing, and after Shakur's famous diss song "Hit 'Em Up", directed against Combs, Bad Boy Records and Christopher "Biggie Smalls" Wallace, the Right assigned Shakur an additional bodyguard.

However, that guard called in on the very night of the murder to say he wouldn't be coming to work.

"For some reason, he didn't show up," Wright said.

Shakur and Knight had security nearby that night, but they were driving alone in a black BMW.

Before the dramatic testimony, the jury saw autopsy photos of Shakur, taken after his death after six days in the hospital.

The photos showed tubes and other medical equipment still attached to his body, as well as the famous "Thug Life" tattoo on his chest.

Bullet wounds were also shown, including one under his right armpit, as well as stitches on his chest where a badly damaged lung had been removed during unsuccessful attempts to save his life. The jury also saw wounds on his right thigh and right buttock, as well as a bullet fragment found in his body.

Shakur's family was warned in advance that disturbing photos would be shown. His sister Sekiva and half-brother Mopreme left the courtroom before the testimony began.

Davis and the jury members showed no visible reaction to the photos of Shakur's body.