In a gripping and emotional recollection, Kenya Ware — longtime friend to many Death Row Records artists and one of the few women who witnessed key moments that night — describes the chaotic chain of events leading up to and following the shooting of Tupac Shakur and Suge Knight in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996. Her account, rich in detail, reveals the tension, confusion, fear, and surreal atmosphere of that night from a firsthand perspective rarely heard.

Arriving in Vegas: A Weekend That Was Supposed to Be Routine

Kenya explains that she traveled to Las Vegas with Natasha, Nate Dogg’s fiancée. What should have been a normal trip — the kind she made regularly for major fights — quickly shifted into tension when Nate Dogg discovered Natasha had gone with Kenya. Nate, known for being extremely protective, immediately drove to Las Vegas with his bodyguard, furious that his fiancée had arrived without him.

The confrontation between Nate and Natasha became heated enough that Tupac himself came downstairs at the Luxor Hotel to break it up, physically stepping in to calm Nate and defuse the argument. According to Kenya, Pac gently pulled Nate aside, helping settle him down and allowing the group to move on with their day.

No Fight Tickets, No Warning Signs

As the Tyson–Seldon fight approached, Kenya repeatedly called Suge Knight for her usual tickets. Suge eventually answered, telling her there were no tickets left but instructing her to meet at valet parking after the fight to head to Club 662.

Meanwhile, Tupac and the entourage returned from the MGM Grand — and Kenya noticed something immediately:
Pac’s large rope chain was broken.
He was distracted and frustrated, fidgeting with it nonstop, but still said nothing about any incident.

Pac and Suge later went upstairs to change clothes. When they came back down, Kenya clocked something even more alarming: Tupac wasn’t wearing a bulletproof vest. When she questioned him, Pac brushed it off, saying confidently:

“This is our house. We’re going to our spot. I don’t need a vest.”

The mood had shifted. Women were crowding around Pac taking pictures, the entourage was disjointed, and Kenya’s instincts were telling her something was off.

Club 662: The First Red Flags

Kenya followed Nate Dogg’s van to Club 662, arriving ahead of Tupac and Suge. When she went inside, she noticed something bizarre:
some of the club’s security guards were running out of the building.

Craig Mack was onstage performing, but security was rushing out, not in — something she says immediately triggered her intuition that something was dangerously wrong.

Kenya and Natasha ran back to the truck and prepared to follow the commotion.

The Shooting Scene: “A Sea of Lights”

While following traffic, police sirens intensified. Then Kenya turned a corner.

What she saw made her heart drop.

Police lights everywhere.
Suge Knight’s BMW tilted.
Yellow tape being stretched across the street.
Outlawz member Yaki Kadafi crying.

Kenya drove straight through the yellow tape in a panic.

“I didn’t care about the tape. Something was wrong.”

A furious officer yelled at her, but all she could focus on was the reality hitting her:

Tupac Shakur and Suge Knight had been shot.

Before she even had time to process the crime scene, onlookers began yelling insults and even wishing death on the Death Row entourage. Kenya felt the danger escalating instantly.

Escape From Vegas: Believing They Were Next

Believing their lives were at risk, Kenya, Natasha, Nate Dogg, and Nate’s bodyguard fled the scene and rushed back to the Luxor to grab their belongings. Nate, armed with two .45 pistols, told everyone:

“Grab what you can. We got to get out of here — they’re trying to kill us.”

Exhausted, disoriented, and terrified, the group drove out of Vegas. Kenya and Natasha took turns at the wheel, often switching every 15 minutes because they were so drained. They finally reached the state line and collapsed in their vehicles to sleep.

The Phone Calls: Panic, Pain, and Family Shockwaves

While still in shock inside the taped-off crime area, Kenya made two critical calls:

1. Call to Sharitha Knight (Suge Knight’s First Wife)

Sharitha panicked immediately, screaming because her young daughter, Arian, had traveled to Vegas with Suge. Kenya confirmed the child was not in the car — calming Sharitha enough for her to prepare a flight to Nevada.

2. Call to Her Mother

Her mother screamed and yelled for Daz Dillinger, who happened to be in the house at that moment. When told Tupac and Suge were shot, Daz let out what Kenya described as:

“A painful roar — like someone who just found out family was hit.”

Daz ran out of the house in disbelief, ending the call abruptly.

Back to Vegas: Visiting Tupac in the Hospital

The next day, Kenya flew back to Las Vegas with Snoop Dogg’s mother Beverly Broadus, and Auntie Gail. Quincy Jones’ daughter Kadida — Tupac’s girlfriend at the time — picked them up directly on the airport tarmac in a limo.

At the hospital, Death Row security had the building locked down tight. Kenya describes the scene as heartbreaking:

• People crying everywhere

• Tupac’s mother Afeni Shakur standing strong, calm, and spiritual

• A sense of overwhelming sadness

Kenya caught a glimpse through the ICU door as it opened:

• Tupac had been cut open vertically for surgery

• His iconic “Thug Life” tattoo was split

• He was on a breathing machine

• He did not appear responsive

Doctors would later give mixed updates that week — some saying he was improving.

The Moment the News Broke

By Friday, September 13, Kenya was preparing to drive back to Vegas again. While on the freeway heading home to pack, radio reports announced that Tupac had died.

Kenya nearly lost control of her car.

“I almost flipped that Benz. I could not believe Pac was dead.”

She describes the moment as life-changing:

“From that moment, nothing was ever the same. Everything went to chaos. It was never the same again.”

A Firsthand Story From Inside Death Row’s Most Tragic Night

Kenya Ware’s retelling gives rare insight into:

• The personal dynamics around Tupac on the day he was shot

• The immediate fear within the Death Row circle

• The emotional and physical exhaustion everyone battled

• The confusion and misinformation between Saturday and Friday

• The heartbreak of seeing Tupac in the hospital

• The moment everything changed for West Coast hip-hop

Her testimony fills in gaps that official reports, documentaries, and rumors never fully captured — providing an interior view of the people who were there, afraid, confused, grieving, and living inside one of hip-hop’s darkest chapters.