Billy Garland says doctors told him Tupac could have lived; Recalls swollen body in hospital

In a new interview with The Art of Dialogue, Tupac’s biological father describes the six days at University Medical Center and says he would not have withdrawn life support

Billy Garland sat down with The Art of Dialogue for an interview and described the final days of his son, Tupac Shakur. Garland said he flew to Las Vegas immediately after learning of the September 7, 1996 shooting. He went straight to Tupac’s room, expecting to see his son smiling. Instead, Tupac was in an induced coma.

Garland’s most striking claim is that doctors told the family there was a “good chance” Tupac could live if he made it through three or four days. Tupac died on the sixth day. Garland also said his son’s body appeared “maybe a half inch to three-quarters of an inch bigger everywhere.” He attributed the swelling to the induced coma.

The Swollen Body in Room 5

Garland said he booked the first flight to Las Vegas after receiving the call. On the plane, he assumed the outcome would resemble Tupac’s earlier New York shooting. “Pac had been shot before,” he said. “I’m thinking he’s gonna be all right. What’s new? We’ll get over this.”

He arrived and went directly to the room. What he saw changed his understanding. Tupac was in an induced coma. Garland said his son “almost didn’t look like my son.” He described arms, face, body, and chest as visibly larger than normal. That sight, he said, was when he realized the situation was more serious than he had hoped.

People he knew approached him at the hospital, including Yasmin, an old friend from the Black Panther Party, and members of the Outlawz. The press tried to get in his face. He declined to identify himself as Tupac’s father, saying it was “none of their business.” However, he settled in and waited for information.

The Three-to-Four-Day Window

Around the third day, Garland said staff told the family that in a case like this, if the patient lasts three or four days, “they going to live,” or at least “they might make it.” He restated this as doctors saying there was a good chance Tupac could live despite four gunshot wounds.

“That’s what he said,” Garland recalled. “It was a good chance that he could live.” He said a smile came to his face. He believed his son would survive. He said he remained concentrated on hoping his son would come out of the coma even as other people began feeding him alternative theories.

Forensic testimony in the 2026 murder trial of Duane “Keffe D” Davis addressed the swelling Garland described. Dr. Lisa Gavin testified that after days on life support, fluid could not circulate normally and seeped into tissues, producing a bloated appearance. Attorney David Kenner, who was at the hospital, separately said Shakur’s chest cavity was severely swollen because bullets went through the lungs.

Leaving the Room

Garland’s voice shifted when he described leaving the room. His then-wife arrived on the last day. He said he had to go to the airport to pick her up. Regarding that task, Garland called her “somewhat of a distraction.”

Now, he says he regrets leaving. “I wish I was in that room,” he said. “I wish I just had stayed in that room as long as it took.” He said it was an “isolated kind of room.” However, he stopped short of asserting a specific act of murder inside the hospital.

“I don’t want to say no conspiratory […],” he said. But he said anyone who wanted Tupac silenced would only need “half a second,” and that the instrument used for an injection would look like someone tucking a patient in. He said he is not claiming that is what happened. But he is saying he wishes he had stayed.

Suge Knight’s Route

Billy Garland’s suspicion extends beyond the hospital. His focus turned to Suge Knight, particularly the route he took after the shooting. Knight lived in Las Vegas, as he had a house there. Additionally, he had an interest in a nightclub in Vegas. After the shooting, Garland said, Knight “goes the opposite direction of the hospital.”

He said he still does not know why but he recalled one later explanation from Knight: “For that moment, I was confused. I was scared.” Garland rejected it because, in his telling, the Cadillac had already made a right, and Knight still made a left after being boxed in.

Additionally, Garland addressed the ballistics, saying all the bullets were on the lower right side. There was “no angle for a head shot” and “no angle for any bullet to stray into Suge Knight’s area.” He reconstructed the geometry of the shooting and compared the pattern to the later killing of The Notorious B.I.G. “Same way with Biggie,” he said.

Resemblance, Grief, and Belief

The Art of Dialogue clip had roughly 317,000 views and about 5,475 likes as of press time. In the comments, people were overwhelmingly sympathetic to Garland and commemorative toward Tupac. Disagreement with Garland’s conspiracy frame was rare in the sample.

One comment with 793 likes read, “77 years old and his memory is still sharp. God bless you sir. RIP Tupac.” A comment with 888 likes urged the channel to have Garland on to speak about the Panthers. Another with 402 likes said, “Pac looked like both of his parents but he had a strong resemblance to his dad. Looks and voice.”

Several comments focused on Garland’s mannerisms. “It’s crazy to see the same mannerisms,” one user wrote. Another said, “So not only does PAC look like him he even has his voice.” A comment with 206 likes read, “Kadafi said he saw the shooter and would be able to identify him. 2 months later he dies as well.”

The most repeated themes were physical resemblance, Garland’s sharp memory at 77, belief in a larger conspiracy, and requests for more Panther-focused interviews.

The Verdict and the Questions After

The Davis conviction last month was the first criminal judgment in the case in 30 years. Prosecutors argued that Davis, a South Side Compton Crips figure, obtained the gun and directed the shooting as retaliation for the MGM lobby beating of Orlando Anderson earlier that night. The jury convicted him of first-degree murder after a short deliberation.

Garland has called Davis a “tool” and said he does not believe Davis was the shooter. He listed people who “possibly had some knowledge” and later died: Michael Moore, Frank Alexander, and Russell Poole. He also mentioned Kadafi, the youngest Outlaw, who had known Tupac since childhood.

“I don’t believe Suge shot and killed Tupac Shakur,” Garland said. “I believe it was the dirty cops who worked for Suge and Reggie Wright.” He said he will go to his grave believing that. Davis is scheduled for sentencing on October 13, 2026, and has indicated appeal.

Final Thoughts

When it’s all said and done, Billy Garland is a father who has experienced the unspeakable pain that most parents fear. He had to outlive his own child and saw him in his deathbed. Thirty years later, Garland is still processing the loss of his son, Tupac Shakur, who died at only 25-years-old. It was a safe thought to believe his child had his entire life ahead of him. Instead, there’s the ending that Garland feels happened all too soon.

At the age of 77, Garland is no longer a young man and he has lived long enough to see some justice served for his son. Duane “Keffe D” Davis has been convicted of Tupac’s murder. However, Garland also lives with the same reality he’s lived for 30 years which is the painful truth that his son is gone.

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