Orlando Anderson, the man long considered to be the prime suspect in the murder of Tupac Shakur, was shot to death in Compton on Friday afternoon following a gun battle that left two other men dead.

Police say that the 23-year-old Anderson was gunned down moments after arriving at a Compton carwash shortly after 3 p.m., in the wake of what they are calling a previous monetary dispute.

Anderson was beaten by Shakur and Death Row Records chief Suge Knight in the Las Vegas MGM Grand in September 1996.

Ever since then, law enforcement officials, gang informants and even members of the Shakur family have cited Anderson as the prime suspect in Shakur's murder, but Anderson always fiercely denied those claims, and no official charges were ever brought against him.

But with Anderson's death, the hopes of ever finding Shakur's killer or uncovering the circumstances surrounding his death now seem all but dashed.

We'll have more on this story as the week continues.