Tupac was shot several times in a drive-by shooting on September 7, 1996, after getting into a fight in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand hotel with gang member, Orlando Anderson. 2Pac overheard a Death Row member telling others how Orlando and somebody of his poses stole his medallion chain so he took it upon his own hands and jumped him:
Tupac suffered four gunshot wounds (two to the chest, one to the arm and another in the thigh). In the six-days proceeding the shooting, Tupac underwent several surgeries in the hospital in a bid to save his life. One surgery removed his lung. Another surgery removed his finger. Reports also indicate he lost his voice (possibly due to being intubated).
According to rapper Napoleon, Tupac's mother, Afeni Shakur, decided to pull the plug, as she stated her son was a proud man and would not want to live with his injuries. It is regrettable that she felt that way. In life one's career is not everything. There's always something else you can do.
Tupac was placed in a coma, due to the fact he kept trying to get out of bed during his hospitalization. It was reported Tupac awoke from the coma a few times during the course of his hospital stay, long enough to speak to family and friends, but kept losing consciousness. Taking two gunshot wounds to the chest did catastrophic damage, as did the damage to his lung. Tupac went into respiratory failure, then cardiac arrest. Doctor's tried to resuscitate him, but Tupac's mother asked that life support be withdrawn. Tupac died on Friday, September 13, 1996. He was 25-years-old.
Orlando Anderson was the prime suspect in Tupac's murder. Some witnesses placed him in the vehicle that did the drive-by shooting. Anderson's uncle was also labeled a suspect, as he too was said to be in the vehicle. Anderson bragged to some about killing Tupac, but when questioned by police, denied the claims. Anderson, a Tupac wannabe and aspiring rapper, was shot to death 2-years later on May 29, 1998. He was 23-years-old.
