Nearly 30 years after the tragic shooting of Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas, the trial against the only suspect charged in his murder is finally underway.

Garry Dale, a retired officer, took the stand as the prosecution’s initial witness following jury selection last week. Dale recounted his encounter with Tupac and Suge Knight just before the incident, detailing how he and a fellow officer had stopped Knight’s BMW for lacking a rear license plate.

This interaction, however, was uneventful, and both men were let go with a warning. Roughly 10 minutes later, Dale found himself at the scene of the shooting.

Officer Shares Inside Perspective

By the time he arrived, emergency personnel were already extracting a severely injured Tupac from the vehicle. Although Knight had also been hurt, he directed officers to tend to Tupac. Dale entered the ambulance, repeatedly attempting to find out who was responsible for the shooting.

Despite Dale’s persistent inquiries, Tupac refused to reveal a name. Instead, he reportedly said something akin to, “No, we’ll take care of it,” repeating this sentiment multiple times before being taken to the hospital. Tupac succumbed to his injuries six days later on September 13, 1996.

Dale’s account highlights one of the immediate obstacles investigators faced after the shooting: unwilling witnesses who either couldn’t or wouldn’t share information with law enforcement.