Tory Lanez goes to trial in Megan Thee Stallion incident
Canadian rapper Tory Lanez is in court facing charges of felony assault two years after allegedly shooting fellow rapper Megan Thee Stallion.
Ariana Triggs, Associated Press
Tory Lanez‘s shooting trial began Monday with opening statements, more than two years after Megan Thee Stallion accused the R&B artist of inflicting “great bodily injury” toward her.
In a criminal complaint, prosecutors said Lanez, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, fired a gun at a victim identified as “Megan P.” after she got out of an SUV during an argument in the Hollywood Hills on July 12, 2020. Megan’s legal name is Megan Pete.
At first, Los Angeles police reported the incident as shots fired, a woman with foot injuries and a man arrested on a weapons allegation. Megan revealed a few days later that her foot injuries came from gunshots.
Following months of speculation and publicity surrounding the incident, prosecutors charged Lanez in October 2020.
Lanez, charged with felony assault, pleaded not guilty in November 2020.
Jury selection in the case began Dec. 5. According to the Los Angeles Times, the trial is expected to last about eight days.
Keep reading for the biggest revelations out of the trial.
Tory Lanez placed under house arrest while awaiting Megan Thee Stallion shooting trial
Prosecution, defense give dueling opening statements
According to the Los Angeles Times and Rolling Stone, the trial began Monday with the prosecution and Lanez’s defense offering opening statements that each painted a different version of events.
Per the outlets, Lanez’s lawyer George Mgdesyan argued that the altercation at the heart of the case was sparked by jealousy between Megan and her former friend Kelsey Harris, both of whom had relationships with Lanez. Harris is set to testify.
The outlets report prosecutor Alexander Bott argued Lanez shot Megan after she insulted his musical abilities.
Is Megan Thee Stallion on trial?
Megan did not press the charges and is not on trial. However, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday that Megan is set to testify on Tuesday, per Bott. It is unclear if Lanez will testify.
On Monday, prosecutors added a new charge of discharging a firearm with gross negligence, according to Rolling Stone.
Megan Thee Stallion talks about her mother’s death on ‘Traumazine’
Megan Thee Stallion’s second album “Traumazine” headlines New Music Friday. Other artists with new music include The Game, the Goo Goo Dolls and more.
Entertain This!, USA TODAY
Who shot Megan Thee Stallion?
More than a month after the incident, Megan said in an Instagram video that it was Lanez who fired shots at her. She slowly revealed more via social media in subsequent weeks.
“The way people have publicly questioned and debated whether I played a role in my own violent assault proves that my fears about discussing what happened were, unfortunately, warranted,” she wrote in an October 2020 New York Times op-ed.
The rapper also discussed the alleged incident in Rolling Stone’s July/August Hot Issue, telling the magazine that before the incident occurred she had a “real connection” with Lanez.
“I thought he knew me. And I never would’ve thought he would’ve shot at me at all,” Megan said in the interview. “I never did anything to him. There was an argument. People argue every day. Friends argue every day.”
Lanez has denied the claims
Drake, 21 Savage release ‘Her Loss’: What to know, including that Megan Thee Stallion lyric
Is Tory Lanez going to jail?
If convicted in the shooting, Lanez faces a maximum sentence of roughly 23 years. “I want him to go to jail,” she previously told Rolling Stone. “I want him to go under the jail.”
The day after he was charged, Lanez tweeted “the truth will come to the light” and “a charge is not a conviction.”
In April, Lanez was handcuffed and taken into custody for violating a protective order preventing him from contacting or harassing Megan or sharing pretrial information from the case. The rapper posted bail and was released several hours later.
While Lanez didn’t directly contact Megan, Judge David Herriford said some of his tweets appeared to be clear messages to her, and he ordered Lanez not to mention her in any social media posts.
‘SNL’: Megan Thee Stallion puts health administration degree to use in ‘Hot Girl Hospital’
Contributing: Charles Trepany and Edward Segarra, USA TODAY; Andrew Dalton, The Associated Press
