Tupac Murder Trial: Ex-Vegas Cop Says Rapper Wouldn't Rat Out Shooter

Tupac stuck to street code until the bitter end ... refusing to rat out his murderer to police, while promising his squad would get retribution.

During the first day of Duane "Keefe D" Davis' trial for allegedly murdering Tupac, former Las Vegas Metro Police Department Officer Garry Dale took the stand to answer some questions about his brief encounter with the rapper.

Dale -- who was in the ambulance with Tupac after he was shot on September 7, 1996 -- said he asked Tupac multiple times who shot him ... but the rapper kept his mouth shut.

He said Tupac only responded by saying he and his crew would "take care of it" ... seemingly implying street justice would deal with the shooter.

Tupac never got the chance to dole out his revenge ... the ambulance took him to the hospital, where he remained on life support for several days but ultimately died on September 13, 1996.

As you know ... Keefe D was arrested back in 2023 in connection with the killing. Prosecutors claim he plotted the shooting in Vegas, though they do not allege that he pulled the trigger.

Keefe D has bragged about his involvement in the shooting over the years -- both in interviews and in conversations with police, during which he had immunity.