The jury found rapper Tory Lanez guilty of assault for the 2020 shooting where Megan Thee Stallion was shot in the foot. The decision came nearly two weeks after the trial began, which included explosive testimony from Megan, whose real name is Megan Pete. Tory, whose real name is Daystar Shemuel Shua Peterson, will now await sentencing and could face up to 24 years in prison. As he is also Canadian, he also faces deportation.
The trial came almost two months after Tory was charged with assault for the shooting in October. He was charged with allegedly shooting the “Savage Rapper” in the feet at a pool party in July 2020. Tory did not testify in the trial, but Megan did offer an emotional statement in court on December 13. “I wish he would’ve just killed me if I knew I’d have to go through this,” she reportedly said, per TMZ. “Because I was shot, I’ve been turned into some kind of villain, and he’s the victim. This has messed up my whole life.”
Megan’s former best friend Kelsey Harris did testify, and she disputed her previous claims that she saw Tory shooting the rapper, per NPR. The influencer, who was granted immunity for the trial, had initially told police during an interview that she saw him shoot at Megan, but when testifying said she couldn’t recall seeing Tory shoot her friend. The “Hot Girl Summer” rapper and her former assistant had a falling out when Kelsey started spending time with Tory after the alleged shooting.
Megan had initially claimed that Tory shot her in the foot in a since-deleted Instagram post, but he’s consistently denied any wrongdoing. The Good News rapper opened up about the shooting and reaction to it in an October 2020 op-ed for The New York Times. “I was recently the victim of an act of violence by a man. After a party, I was shot twice as I walked away from him. We were not in a relationship,” she said. “Even as a victim, I have been met with skepticism and judgment. 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.”
Both rappers have made mentions of the shooting and allegations in their music. Following the incident, Tory made many references on his record Daystar. One of the most recent times was when Megan referenced the shooting on her most recent album Traumazine on the track “Who Me?” She raps, “I feel like Biggie, who shot you?/But everybody know who shot me.”