Canadian rapper Tory Lanez yelled “Dance, b**ch!” and shot five times at Megan Thee Stallion after she insulted his musical talent, prosecutors said Monday as his trial got underway in Los Angeles.
Lanez, an Ontario native whose real name is Daystar Peterson, was charged in October 2020 with assault with a firearm and carrying a loaded and unregistered firearm. Last month, he was slapped with an additional charge of discharging a firearm with gross negligence.
If convicted, Lanez – who lives in Florida – faces a sentence of up to 22 years and eight months behind bars as well as deportation.
Lanez, 30, has pleaded not guilty.
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According to reports, the rapper showed up at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center on Monday morning holding his son Kai’Lon’s hand.
The prosecutor said Megan’s former friend Kelsey Harris witnessed the shooting and will testify during the trial. Alexander Bott also told jurors that they will hear a recording of a phone call Harris got from Lanez while he was in custody in which he apologized for shooting Megan and blamed it on being “so drunk.” He also texted Megan: “Meg. I know you prolly never gone to talk to me again. But I genuinely want u to know I’m sorry from the bottom of my heart. And I was just too drunk.”
Lanez’s lawyer George Mgdesyan pointed out Lanez never mentioned a gun or a shooting and was apologizing for cheating. He offered a different narrative, claiming the case is about Megan’s jealousy because Lanez was involved with both she and Harris. He posited that it was Harris who shot at Megan.
Megan is scheduled to testify on Tuesday. The trial is expected to last about 10 days.
Lanez has found himself in hot water several times while awaiting trial.
In August 2021, Lanez's bail was raised by $60,000 U.S. when he was found guilty of violating a court order by attending a music festival where Megan Thee Stallion performed.
This past April, he was taken into custody in a Los Angeles courtroom after a judge ruled that he violated court orders preventing him from discussing any discovery in the case with outside parties. Lanez’s bail was increased from $250,000 to $350,000 U.S.
Then, in October, Lanez was placed under house arrest and ordered to wear an ankle monitor until his trial following an altercation with singer August Alsina in Chicago. (The house arrest and monitoring were terminated at Monday’s hearing.)
In June, Megan told Rolling Stone what she hopes will happen to Lanez if he is convicted. “I want him to go to jail,” she said. “I want him to go under the jail.
“I never put my hands on this man. I never did anything to him. There was an argument. People argue every day. Friends argue every day.”
Lanez has released seven studio albums since 2016, including September's Sorry 4 What, and has collected three consecutive JUNO Awards for Rap Recording of the Year. He also earned the JUNO for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year for a collaboration with Jessie Reyez and Tainy.
The rapper was briefly detained by Miami Beach Police in 2018 during a brawl outside a nightclub but was released at the scene without charges. In 2017, Lanez was charged with carrying a concealed weapon, possession of marijuana and driving without a license after being pulled over by police in Miramar, Florida. The weapon charge was later dropped.