Rapper Tory Lanez due for sentencing after shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the feet

Rapper Tory Lanez is due to be sentenced later for shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the feet. A jury in the US found him guilty of firing at the Savage singer in the Hollywood Hills during an argument.

Almost three years have passed since the 2020 shooting, and a lot has happened inside – and outside – court.

It’s a case that’s divided fans and spilled out into the wider hip-hop world, with Drake being accused of taking sides at one point.

When the trial finally got going in Los Angeles late last year, after months of delays, Megan got to take the stand and give her version of events under oath.

“I can’t believe I have to come here and do this,” was how Megan started her testimony in the LA courtroom.

She told the jury it all began at the party hosted by Kylie Jenner in the Hollywood Hills on 12 July 2020.

Megan, real name Megan Pete, and Tory Lanez, real name Daystar Peterson, got into an argument as they drove away from the event.

She told the trial the row started when she mocked Lanez’s musical talents.

According to Megan, she demanded to be let out of the car and heard Tory shouting at her to dance. He then opened fire with a handgun. The jury heard how she left a trail of blood at the scene and minutes after the shooting a friend messaged her security saying: “Help… Tory shot Meg.”

Megan told the courtroom Lanez had offered her $1m to keep quiet about what happened, and called her afterward to apologize, claiming he was “just too drunk”.

Through tears, she said she had regrets about coming forward, saying speaking out had been “torture”.

Outside the court, Lanez’ supporters stood opposite crowds of fans carrying “We stand with Megan” signs. And as Megan arrived at the building, his side heckled her by shouting: “Why are you lying to that boy?”

Accusations of lying have dogged the Grammy-winning rapper throughout the case because her story changed early on. She initially told police she’d been hurt by stepping on broken glass. It wasn’t until later, on Instagram, that she first said that Tory had shot her.

She then told an interviewer she’d needed surgery to remove bullets from her feet that had missed her bones and tendons.

Megan, 27, said she lied to officers at the time because she didn’t want to “get in more trouble”.

It sparked a long war of words between her and Lanez – they both released tracks about the case.

In his song Money Over Fallout, Lanez accused Megan of trying to frame him, while Megan said she was the one “speakin’ facts” in her track Shots Fired.

The dispute spilled out into the wider hip-hop world, with artists like 50 Cent and even Drake getting involved. Megan frequently defended herself on Twitter and said she’d been painted as aggressive and a “snitch”. She suggested misogynoir – misogyny against black women – could be why she was targeted. Megan criticized Drake when he released Circo Loco, a collab with 21 Savage that appeared to reference the shooting case.

But she did receive support from fellow artists, like JoJo and Kehlani. And a group of prominent black women, including #MeToo founder Tarana Burke, released an open letter backing Megan. In Da Club, rapper Fiddy eventually apologized for sharing memes casting doubt on Megan’s version of events. He said he’d changed his mind after hearing evidence from the trial.

Lanez has always denied the charges against him – felony negligent discharge of a firearm, assault with a semi-automatic firearm, and carrying a loaded and unregistered firearm.

The 30-year-old Canadian has filed various appeals – and his lawyers could launch other motions after his sentence.

Since the guilty verdict, Megan has tried to reclaim the narrative around the shooting, and spoken about the effect “false narratives” and “conspiracy theories” had on her.

In an Elle Magazine feature, she said the guilty verdict “was a victory for every woman who has ever been shamed, dismissed, and blamed for a violent crime committed against them”.

“We can’t control what others think, especially when the lies are juicier than the truth,” she said.

“But as a society, we must create safer environments for women to come forward about violent behavior without fear of retaliation.”

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