Photo Credit: Shes Price Less / CC by 3.0
A jury has convicted rapper Tory Lanez of assault for the 2020 shooting and wounding of Megan Thee Stallion.
“I want to start by highlighting the bravery of Megan Pete,” Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said in an announcement of the conviction. “You showed incredible courage and vulnerability with your testimony despite repeated and grotesque attacks that you did not deserve. You faced unjust and despicable scrutiny that no woman should ever face, and you have been an inspiration to others across LA County and the nation.”
After seven hours of deliberations, jurors found Daystar Peterson–otherwise known as Tory Lanez–guilty of one count of assault with an automatic firearm.
The jury also found true the allegations that he caused great bodily injury and used a firearm to do so. Lanez was also convicted of one count of carrying an unregistered loaded firearm in a vehicle and one count of discharge of a firearm with gross negligence. Tory Lanez was immediately taken into custody after the verdict.
“Women, especially Black women, are afraid to report crimes like assault and sexual violence because they are too often not believed,” Gascón continues. “This trial, for the second time this month, highlighted the numerous ways that our society must do better for women.”
Jurors were presented evidence showing that on July 12, 2020, Megan Thee Stallion was riding in an SUV with Lanez in the Hollywood Hills. At some point, Megan Thee Stallion exited the vehicle, and Lanez shot several times at the victim’s feet, wounding her with shrapnel in the process. The case was investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department. A sentencing hearing in case BA-490599 was set for January 27, 2013. Tory Lanez now faces a maximum sentence of 22 years and eight months.
Megan Thee Stallion faced incredible criticism on social media and online for sharing her story about the assault.
