The Los Angeles jury on Friday discovered singer and rapper Tory Lanez guilty of three charges relating to the shooting in July 2020 by the artist Megan Thee Stallion in the Hollywood Hills, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office told CNN.
Lanez has pleaded not to be guilty to assault using semiautomatic weapons and carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm inside a vehicle, and discharge of a gun with the grossest negligence, as per the prosecutors.
The jury found him guilty on the three charges.
Megan claimed Lanez that she had shot her foot when she got out of the vehicle they were in during an argument.
In her testimony at the hearing, Megan claimed that tensions were brewing in the car between Megan, Lanez, and her former assistant and friend, Kelsey Harris, Billboard Magazine says. The performer admitted to the trial that Lanez demanded that she come open to Harris about the possibility that they were intimate. However, Billboard says Megan was hesitant to do so since she was aware that Harris was a fan of the Canadian rapper and singer.
Megan Thee Stallion stated that she had left the car when Tory Lanez shot her.
“I was walking and I heard Tory screaming, ‘Dance’ B***h!” she testified tearfully, according to Billboard. “I froze. I just felt shocked. I felt hurt. I looked at my feet and saw the blood everywhere.”
Megan “showed remarkable bravery and vulnerability” during her trial “despite the numerous and horrific attacks,” LA County DA George Gascon said in a statement to CNN after the verdict.
“You were subjected to unjust and degrading scrutiny that women should never be subject to and you’ve inspired many all over LA County and the nation,” he said about Megan.
“Women, particularly Black women are hesitant to speak out about crimes such as sexual assault because they are often not taken seriously. The trial, which took place twice this month, highlighted how our society can be more inclusive in women’s interest.” Gascon added, speaking of Harvey Weinstein being found guilty of three of seven charges on Monday.
The judge also thanked the jurors for “their time and thoughtful discussion.”
Lanez did not appear for his defense during the trial of nine days.
The jury, made up of seven men and five women, began deliberating on Thursday and the verdict was announced in the afternoon of Friday.
Lanez was removed from the room by bailiffs wearing handcuffs after the verdict had been read, as reported by CNN station KCBS. He is facing a maximum penalty of 22 years in jail and possibly deportation back to his homeland of Canada.
[…] Tory Lanez found guilty in the shooting in 2020 that involved Megan Thee Stallion. […]