A jury at a Los Angeles court has this week found Canadian rapper Tory Lanez guilty of three firearm felonies in relation to his shooting of fellow rapper Megan Thee Stallion.
The 30-year-old - whose real name is Daystar Peterson - stood accused of shooting the 'WAP' rapper in July 2020, as the pair left a Hollywood Hills party hosted by Kylie Jenner on July 12, 2020. Peterson and Megan had reportedly been involved in an argument at the party, which carried on in an SUV as they left the event.
Also present in the car was Megan's ex-assistant Kelsey Harris, and Peterson's bodyguard.
Peterson initially plead not guilty to discharging a firearm with gross negligence, assault with a semiautomatic firearm, and carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle, per CBS.
Following the incident, the shooting was referenced by other rappers in their music, including Drake, who appeared to infer in his song 'Circo Loco' that, while Megan was an attractive woman, she was also a liar who fabricated the incident.
Listen to Drake's track below:Deputy District Attorney Alexander Bott told the jury during opening statements that the quarrel had been over the rappers' respective careers, saying, per GQ: "When Megan insulted his skills as a music artist, that's what really set him off that night."
It was in the SUV that Peterson had opened fire with a firearm and, as Megan exited the SUV, he shot her five times in the feet.
BBC News reports that she had surgery to remove the bullets that same night, and stayed in the hospital for four days. Stallion has since stated that she's still living with bullet fragments in her feet.
As the trial began and Megan testified, it was revealed that she initially told police that she had stepped on broken glass as she had been cautious to get involved with the police and was "scared [Tory] was going to get in trouble." CBS News reported that Megan stated: "I hear the gun going off, and I can't believe he's shooting at me."
Peterson had allegedly offered Megan and her ex-assistant Harris $1 million each to maintain their silence about the incident.
Harris had testified that she was unsure of many events from that night, despite having given an extremely detailed account of the event in September to the prosecution. In fact, prosecutors told The Shade Room that they believed her testimony had been "compromised," and that, "whether a threat or bribe," they were "looking into it."
The defense had attempted to pin the shooting on Harris, citing a lack of DNA from Peterson on the firearm as a reason.
Peterson chose not to testify in the trial, and was eventually found guilty on all three felony firearm charges. He could face up to 22 years and eight months in prison if convicted on all counts, as well as possible deportation back to Canada.
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