A Los Angeles jury has found Tory Lanez guilty of three charges related to the July 2020 shooting of fellow rapper Megan Thee Stallion.
Lanez had pleaded not guilty to assault with a semiautomatic firearm, carrying a loaded unregistered firearm in a vehicle, and discharge of a firearm with gross negligence. The jury convicted him on all three counts.
Lanez has denied shooting the 25-year-old rap star after a night of partying at Kylie Jenner’s home in the Hollywood Hills on July 12. Meg told her fans in an emotional social media post Tory shot her and shared photos of her injuries on Instagram.
Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, was charged in October 2020.
According to the police report four people were in the car when Megan was shot 5 times in the feet on a residential street on Nichols Canyon Rd.
Following the shooting Megan, her assistant Kelsey Harris, Lanez and the driver of the SUV were detained by the LAPD. A firearm was also found in the vehicle and Lanez, whose name was registered to the firearm, was arrested and charged.
His defense claimed Harris pulled the trigger in a jealous rage after finding out Megan slept with Lanez behind her back.
Prosectors called several witnesses including Megan who tearfully recounted the night of July 12, 2020 and identified Lanez as the shooter.
“I started walking away and I hear Tory yell, ‘Dance, b***h.’ I froze. I just felt shock. I felt hurt. I looked down at my feet and I see all of this blood.”
Lanez did not take the stand during the nine-day trial.
The jury, comprised of five men and seven women, began deliberating Thursday and a verdict was reached on Friday afternoon. While the verdict was read, Lanez sat stone-faced, listening but not reacting. His father and stepmother were escorted out of the courtroom after screaming at the prosecutors. “This is a wicked system,” he said standing up and pointing to the prosectors. “You stand judged before God.”
Lanez was taken out of the courtroom by bailiffs in handcuffs after the verdict was read. He faces a maximum sentence of 22 years in prison and possible deportation back to his native Canada.
