After being found guilty of assault in December of 2022, rapper Tory Lanez was sentenced in the infamous 2020 shooting that left superstar Megan Thee Stallion‘s foot injured. Tory, 31, was sentenced on August 8 to 10 years in prison for the shooting injury to the fellow rapper, per Rolling Stone. According to legal reporter Meghann Cuniff via Twitter, Tory spoke during the sentencing, saying that Megan is “someone I still care for dearly to this day.”
Prior to the sentencing, on Aug 7, a letter from Iggy Azalea asked that the judge’s decision on a sentence be “transformative, not life-destroying,” per USA Today. And an emotional statement from Tory’s father, Christian minister Sonstar Peterson recalled Tory’s mom Luella passing away when the rapper was just 11 years old, and noting that “his music became his outlet.”
Tory’s son Kai, who is about 6 years old, also reportedly gave the judge a handwritten letter, which was referenced in court but not otherwise elaborated upon, per the Associated Press. Megan notably shared a victim impact statement the same day, delivered by Deputy District Attorney Kathy Ta. “Since I was viciously shot by the defendant, I have not experienced a single day of peace,” Megan said in the emotional statement. “Slowly but surely, I’m healing and coming back, but I will never be the same.”
Due to the lengthy statements given in court, in addition to lawyers for both sides arguing for the length and nature of the sentencing, the sentencing was pushed back from August 7 to August 8.
Tory, who is also known by his real name of Daystar Shemuel Shua Peterson, was found guilty back in December of 2022 after being charged the previous October with assault for allegedly shooting the “Savage” icon in the foot. He faced up to 24 years and prison and potential deportation to Canada. In July, Superior Court of Los Angeles Judge David Herriford denied the rapper’s request for a new trial.
The alleged incident went down during a pool party hosted by Kylie Jenner back in July of 2020, and the duo reportedly argued before it happened as she walked away. Megan (nee Megan Pete), has been open about the impact the incident has had on her life.
“I wish he would’ve just killed me if I knew I’d have to go through this,” she reportedly said in a statement during the December trial, 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.” Tory has denied the charges, which Megan initially put forth her injury in a since-deleted social media post.
“I wish I could have handled this situation privately,” Megan confessed to Elle in May of 2023. “That was my intention, but once my attacker made it public, everything changed. By the time I identified my attacker, I was completely drained. Many thought I was inexplicably healed because I was still smiling through the pain, still posting on social media, still performing, still dancing, and still releasing music. The truth is that I started falling into a depression.”
She went on, describing how the incident had even affected her career. “I didn’t feel like making music,” she explained. “I was in such a low place that I didn’t even know what I wanted to rap about. I wondered if people even cared anymore. There would be times that I’d literally be backstage or in my hotel, crying my eyes out, and then I’d have to pull Megan Pete together and be Megan Thee Stallion.”
She detailed her painful injuries in a June 20220 interview. “What nobody knows is, I had to get the surgery the same night [as the alleged shooting],” she told Rolling Stone, noting that she stayed in California for several days. “Then I was in New York for a while,” she continued. “Both of my legs wrapped up. I could not walk. I still have bullet fragments in my feet right now. I was very scared that I was not able to be Megan Thee Stallion no more. And I was f***** up.”
Still, she was grateful when the guilty verdict was handed down just before Christmas. “When the guilty verdict came on Dec. 23, 2022, it was more than just vindication for me,” she said. “It was a victory for every woman who has ever been shamed, dismissed, and blamed for a violent crime committed against them.”
And in a late May interview, she reassured fans that music would come again. “Fans can expect new music when I’m in a better place,” she told InStyle for an interview published May 30. “Right now, I’m focused on healing.”