Who Was Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson? The Man Accused of Killing 2Pac After a Las Vegas Brawl

The story of Tupac Shakur’s death has remained one of hip-hop’s greatest tragedies and unsolved mysteries. At the center of the controversy stands one name that has surfaced repeatedly: Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, a member of the Southside Compton Crips.

On the night of September 7, 1996, Tupac was brutally gunned down in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada. Just hours earlier, he had been involved in a physical altercation inside the MGM Grand Hotel. The man on the receiving end of that fight was Anderson. That incident, captured on surveillance cameras, would forever tie his name to one of the most infamous murders in music history.

Anderson was never formally charged in connection with Tupac’s murder, but police investigations and street rumors pointed in his direction. Some claimed that the brawl provided motive and opportunity, while others believed it was part of a larger conflict between Death Row Records and rival gangs. Despite widespread speculation, no definitive evidence ever linked him to the shooting.

Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson denied involvement until his death. In 1998, just two years after Tupac’s killing, Anderson himself was shot and killed in Compton during an unrelated gang shootout, ending any possibility of a direct confession or trial.

Decades later, Tupac’s murder remains unsolved, but Anderson’s name continues to live in infamy. For some, he was a scapegoat caught up in a bigger storm; for others, he was the man who pulled the trigger that silenced one of the greatest voices in rap.

The truth may never be fully known, but the legacy of Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson is forever intertwined with one of hip-hop’s darkest nights.