Megan Thee Stallion: Jury finds Tory Lanez guilty of shooting rapper
Image credit: BBC
Rapper Tory Lanez was convicted of shooting Megan Thee Stallion, another prominent hip-hop artist, in 2020.
The 30-year-old Canadian was found guilty in Los Angeles by a jury of assault with a semi-automatic weapon, carrying a loaded firearm without a licence, and felony negligent discharge of a firearm. He might spend over 20 years in prison.
Rapper Megan Thee Stallion, 27, who received a Grammy, previously testified that she was shot in the feet after leaving a pool party.
As the verdict was announced, Lanez remained silent. He was kept in detention and will receive a punishment on January 27.
After the trial was over, one of Megan Thee Stallion’s attorneys told reporters, “The jury made the appropriate decision.” I’m glad Meg is getting justice. The rapper missed hearing the decision in court.
Megan Thee Stallion, whose true name is Megan Pete, testified throughout the trial that she was shot and wounded at the party on July 12, 2020, in the Hollywood Hills.
The rapper said that Lanez, whose true name is Daystar Peterson, got angry because she criticised his musical ability. She claimed that prior to him firing five shots at her, she had yelled to be let out of a luxurious vehicle.
She further stated that he had promised her $1 million (£830,000) in exchange for her silence over the assault since he had claimed to be on probation for a firearms offence. To the police, she initially claimed that she had cut her feet on glass.
Lanez refuted the accusations, including a fight with the other artist, and his attorney, George Mgdesyan, tried unsuccessfully to claim that the investigation had been conducted improperly.
He claimed that Kelsey Harris, a friend of Megan Thee Stallion, had shot her, adding that “jealousy” was the driving force behind the incident.
After the incident, Megan Thee Stallion’s hooves were cleaned of many gunshot fragments, but some remained.
She also admitted in her evidence that she had shared “intimate” relationships with Lanez.
Megan Thee Stallion is best known for her song “Savage,” which features Beyoncé, and for which she won a Grammy in 2021 for “best new artist.”