Canadian rapper Tory Lanez, on trial for shooting singer Megan Thee Stallion in the feet in 2020, allegedly offered $1 million to try to buy her silence, the American hip-hop star testified in court on Tuesday. Los Angeles.
The trial, which opened on Monday, has its origins in a dispute between the two ex-lovers following a too drunk Hollywood evening at Kylie Jenner’s house.
In this case, Tory Lanez is notably prosecuted for using a semi-automatic weapon and carrying an unregistered firearm.
The two stars were returning from the evening by car, accompanied by a friend of Megan Thee Stallion who had also fallen in love with the Canadian rapper. An argument then broke out and the singer asked to get out of the car.
The Canadian then opened fire at his feet, “following saying: + Dance, bitch +”, said Meghan Thee Stallion in court on Tuesday.
“I’m shocked. I’m scared. I hear the shots going off and I can’t believe he’s shooting me,” said the artist, real name Megan Pete.
With bleeding feet and wearing a simple thong, the avant-garde rapper, winner of three Grammy Awards in 2021, agreed to get back in the car.
The rapper then “started apologizing,” Meghan Thee Stallion testified and allegedly told her, “I’ll give you a million dollars if you don’t say anything.”
Tory Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, has so far denied any responsibility.
Shortly following the incident, the car of the two stars was stopped by the police. Transported to the hospital, the singer initially claimed to have injured her feet with pieces of glass.
In court on Tuesday, Meghan Thee Stallion blamed her reaction on distrust of the police, just months following the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, two African Americans killed by law enforcement.
“At the time, we were at the peak of police violence,” she recalled. “I don’t feel safe in the car. I don’t feel safe around the police either.”
“In the black community, it’s not really acceptable to cooperate with the police,” she added to explain her mistrust.
A weapon was found in the car, according to the investigation, and gunshot residue was found on each of the two stars.
At the opening of the trial on Monday, the defense of Tory Lanez promised the jurors to dismantle the charges once morest him. It is a “case of jealousy”, insisted his lawyer George Mgdesyan.
