A jury in Los Angeles has found rapper Tory Lanez guilty of shooting fellow hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion, who was founded during the 202 incident with bullet fragments in her feet.
On Friday, the jury came back with guilty verdicts for three felonies: assault with a semiautomatic firearm, having a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharging a firearm with gross negligence.
The 30-year-old Canadian rapper, born Daystar Peterson, faces up to 22 years in prison for the offences.
While the decision was being read, Lanez showed no outward emotion. While in the courtroom, he was shackled.
Megan Thee Stallion, who was born Megan Pete, said during the trial that Lanez yelled at her to dance as she walked away from the car they had been in and shot a revolver at the back of her feet.
To remove gunshot fragments from her foot, she required surgery.
The incident sparked a nationwide dialogue about gender dynamics in hip-hop, the safety of Black women, the unwillingness of Black victims to communicate with authorities, and online vitriol that peaked during the trial.
Prosecutors emphasised in their final statements the bravery Megan displayed in coming out and the abuse she has received as a result. The 27-year-old star supposedly had no reason to lie, according to the officials.
“Why would she lie?” Deputy District Attorney Alexander Bott said. “She’s been subjected to a stream of hate. For what? For coming forward as a victim of domestic violence?”
In his closing remarks, Lanez’s attorney claimed that Megan’s friend Kelsey Harris really fired the rounds during a jealous quarrel over Lanez, who intervened to halt the shooting.
George Mgdesyan, the lawyer, believed Megan’s story was made more sympathetic by blaming Lanez for the shooting.
“Megan Pete is a liar. She lied about everything in this case from the beginning,” Mgdesyan said. “She lied under oath here.”
Harris named Lanez as the person carrying the pistol and denied being the shooter. Her lawyer declined to comment on her role in an email.
In 2009, Lanez started putting out mixtapes. As his reputation grew, he transitioned to major-label albums. His most recent two songs on Billboard’s charts peaked at No. 10.
At the time of the shooting, Megan Thee Stallion was already a significant emerging celebrity, and since then, her notoriety has increased.
In addition to having two No. 1 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 with her own song “Savage,” which features Beyoncé, and as a guest on Cardi B’s “WAP,” she was awarded the Grammy for best new artist in 2021.
