The police officer who held Tupac Shakur as he took his final unaided breath is still harassed by conspiracy theorists claiming the rapper...
The police officer who held Tupac Shakur as he took his final unaided breath is still harassed by conspiracy theorists claiming the rapper is alive – 25 years after his murder.
Retired Las Vegas cop Chris Carroll told he still regularly receives messages on social media and even through the Las Vegas Metro Police Department demanding he 'come clean' about a crackpot theory the iconic rapper secretly escaped that night.
Some extremists even write to suggest that Carroll played a role in the death of the star, famous for hits like California Love and Ghetto Gospel.
No matter how many times he repeats his same story and factual description of holding lifeless Tupac in his arms after the gang shooting, people still refuse to believe him.
The 56-year-old said he takes much of the interaction with good humor, but remains 'a little unsettled' at suggestions that he would not aid a gunshot wound victim.
Carroll spoke up on the 25th anniversary of Tupac's murder to voice his bewilderment and frustration at hardcore fans not believing his account of the night of September 7, 1996.
Retired Las Vegas cop Chris Carroll held Tupac Shakur as he took his final unaided breath 25 years ago. Carroll told DailyMailTV in an exclusive interview that he is still harassed by conspiracy theorists claiming the rapper is alive
Carroll spoke up on the 25th anniversary of Tupac's murder to voice his bewilderment and frustration at hardcore fans not believing his account of the night of September 7, 1996
Carroll held gun shot-ridden Tupac as he fought to take his last few breaths, before 'gargling, choking, falling unconscious and going limp' on the sidewalk of Las Vegas Boulevard.
Carroll remains 'in no doubt Tupac was essentially dead because the volume of blood loss and damage to his vital organs was terminal.'
Tupac was officially pronounced dead on September 13, after paramedics rushed him to the ICU at University Medical Center.
Back in 1996, then-sergeant Carroll was the first officer on the scene in the wake of Tupac and Suge's BMW crashing into the center of Las Vegas Boulevard shortly before midnight on September 7, 1996
A quarter of a century on from the case, which remains an open investigation with LV Metro, Carroll finds himself at the center of the shocking moment in pop culture history.
'People contact me from around the world asking about Tupac, and their questions go from sensible to quite frankly absurd,' the ex-cop told DailyMailTV.
'Most of what I get is very positive and supportive but there are these others who are convinced I played some part in some way in what happened to Tupac, either in his passing or supposed escape.
'It is very difficult for people to believe somebody as iconic was the victim of a simple murder.
'Unfortunately the most obvious scenario is what happened, but social media is a huge part of the spread of misinformation along with a bit of human nature.
'People want to hear about complex stories of cover ups and conspiracies. That is not the case - sadly some people die in very straightforward circumstances even if they are famous.'
In the exclusive interview, Carroll admitted: 'I never thought I would be talking about this a week after that night, let alone 25 years. Now I realize it is never going away. It is what it is and is never going to change.
'It frustrates me when I hear misinformation, lies and conspiracies and it is one of reasons I came forward in the first place after I retired to set the record straight.
'Thankfully the vast majority of people believe the truth, but the ones who don't seem to speak the loudest and they never stop talking.'
Carroll said he is staggered at the online posts and social media threads alleging various far-fetched roles by him in the case. Some cite him as a middle man for Tupac's escape and others an accomplice to his murder.
'It is just comical to say I killed him,' Carroll said. 'It is all on record how many bullets damaged key organs and when I got to him he was already pretty much passing away.
'Technically he did not officially pass until later, but that was only thanks to the skill of the trauma team who kept his heart beating, and then life support machines.
'To those others who believe I helped smuggle him to Cuba or Costa Rica, that is false too.
'He had large caliber wounds to his torso and vital organs. While I was holding him he stopped breathing, and he never regained consciousness – he was not going anywhere in that state other than the hospital.'
Jokingly he added: 'Maybe had he hit me up with a deal for a millions of dollars and a plan to smuggle him when he was alive, without the shooting, I may have taken him up on it.'
This is the black car in which Tupac was fatally shot by an unknown assassin as he drove with Suge Knight on Las Vegas Boulevard
Bullet holes are seen in the BMW that was blasted with a volley of bullets from a semi-automatic weapon from men in a white Cadillac car
Back in 1996, then-sergeant Carroll was the first officer on the scene in the wake of Tupac and Suge's BMW crashing into the center of Las Vegas Boulevard shortly before midnight on September 7, 1996.
Seconds earlier their vehicle had been blasted with a volley of bullets from a semi-automatic weapon from men in a white Cadillac car.
Carroll approached the shot up BMW, where he noticed Tupac was slumped but moving.
After opening the passenger door, Tupac, blood pouring from four gunshot wounds, flopped out onto his left arm.
The rapper grimaced with pain, gasping for breath and slipped out of consciousness, Carroll said.
Carroll asked him who'd shot him, only for the rapper 'to take as deep as breath as possible and say, 'F*** you'.'
The Tupac case remains open, even though many LA gang members and leaks have cited Crips gang member Orlando Anderson (pictured) as the rapper's killer and Carroll agrees
'Then his eyes rolled back, and then he started gargling and choking, his body physically quit, he went limp, his eyes closed half way, stopped breathing and he lost consciousness,' the ex-cop said.
An ambulance arrived moments later and medics inserted a breathing tube down his throat and frantically worked on saving him.
Despite ICU care and several attempted surgeries to repair his fatally destroyed organs, Tupac was officially pronounced dead six days after the shooting on September 13.
At first that night appeared to be 'just another day on the job' for Carroll, who enjoyed a 25-year- long successful career working in the Metro vice, sexual assault, domestic violence, missing persons and patrol departments.
However as the homicide case never found a killer and fans began speculating about the events, Carroll has been continually cited in conspiracy theories.
Carroll, who continues to teach recruits at Silver State Police Academy, added: 'The number one question is always 'Is Tupac still alive?'
'Then it is: do I know who killed him? After I say yes, they then ask: why was he not arrested and brought to trial?
'There are others online who claim I could have done more to save Tupac. Sadly I could not. As he was with me he was gasping for air, then gurgling, most likely from the blood filling his throat and lungs. My instinct told me that he was in serious trouble.
'I thought about first aid, but his situation was beyond me saving him. The multiple gun wounds, blood loss and his rolling eyes meant only trauma specialists could save him.
Carroll recalled how the rapper grimaced with pain, gasping for breath and slipped out of consciousness
The Tupac case remains open, even though many LA gang members and leaks have cited Crips gang member Orlando Anderson as the rapper's killer.
Carroll also believes the killer was Anderson, who had been beaten up by Tupac and his associates at the MGM Hotel earlier that night. However he had huge sympathy for the homicide detectives trying to solve the high profile case in fall 1996.
'It is almost impossible to conduct an investigation when none of the witnesses give you information about what really happened. Tupac's entourage all claimed they saw nothing,' he said.
Carroll spoke up on the 25th anniversary of Tupac's murder to voice his bewilderment and frustration at hardcore fans not believing his account
'There was a certain code on the street groups, which was you do not cooperate with police or give them information.
'If that is the code they have lived by for decades, I suppose I cannot understand.
'But I am really not impressed when some now are complaining 25 years later that the police did not solve the case.
'It is a given that Orlando Anderson was the gunman, but following up with him was impossible because Orlando was murdered a year after the shooting.
'So when people ask why there's never been any court trial, it is because the shooter is dead.'
Carroll has mixed feelings on how his career will forever be linked to Tupac.
'It is unfortunate that my 25 year career boiled down to one case that ended poorly,' he said. 'Because in my work life, like so many other police officers, most cases end well.
'But those cases rarely receive any attention, because people go on with their lives.
'Being defined as the Tupac cop is not who I am, it is not my identity. I do not spend the majority of my time on this matter.
'Of course I am upset that he passed. I would have loved to have been the guy who saved Tupac, but that was not possible.
'In the job we came across a lot of deaths. I realize to those who knew him or followed him closely this is important to them.
'Since then I have moved on with my life. It will always be an unfortunate thing in my life.'
Since his distinguished career, Carroll has worked consulting on security projects for schools, Vegas hotels, sports facilities and private business.
He has also turned his passion for wine into a second part-time career.
Carroll went to sommelier school before earning the title of Certified Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers and also the International Sommelier Guild.
He works across a variety of wine events across Las Vegas.
His latest venture is to educate wine buffs in China about wine, co-founding a new website Beijingbacchus.com.
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