Tory Lanez, Megan Thee Stallion Trial – Details So Far
Opening statements in the court case for Tory Lanez, who alleged shot Megan Thee Stallion, have officially begun, kicking off a trial that has polarized the hip-hop community.
On Monday morning (Dec. 12), both sides laid out their case on a macro level, following last week's jury selection. Rolling Stone senior reporter Nancy Dillon is covering the case live and reported that Tory's defense team is claiming he was not the person that fired the shots that struck Megan that fateful night. They also reportedly plan to lay out a theory that Megan's former friend Kelsey Harris might be the shooter. They say this whole thing is over "jealousy," implying the initial fight was because Megan was jealous of Kylie Jenner.
Megan Thee Stallion will reportedly also testify, saying she saw Tory Lanez fire the shots that struck her. The prosecution says Harris will also testify she saw Tory shoot Megan, and provided alleged texts that Harris sent to Megan's bodyguard. In the texts, Harris exclaimed specifically, "Tory shot Meg." They also made the revelation that Megan and Tory were at one point in an intimate relationship despite Megan's previous claims that they were not.
The trial is occurring 29 months after the shooting allegedly occurred on July 12, 2020. On that night, Megan, Tory, Kelsey Harris and Tory's bodyguard were riding around in Los Angeles after partying at Kylie Jenner's home when an argument started in the car that resulted in the shooting. Police later pulled over the SUV and ordered everyone out of the car. Video of the incident shows Megan bleeding and limping. Initially, Megan told the police she was injured by broken glass. She later said she did so out of fear the police would act erratically if she told the truth. Tory Lanez was arrested for having a concealed weapon.
That August, Megan confirmed Tory Lanez shot her on social media. Tory Lanez was charged with one felony count of assault with a semiautomatic firearm—personal use of a firearm—and carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle, upon further investigation. He pleaded not guilty to the felony charges in November of 2020 and has maintained his innocence throughout the process.
Back in February, Megan Thee Stallion shared alleged text messages that show Tory apologizing to her hours after the alleged incident took place.
“Lie yo way out of this … if you aint do shit what you was apologizing for? THE LAWYERS GOT YO PHNE RECORDS AND MINE. ALL YOUR TXT. THEY GOT YOU RECORDED ON THE JAIL PHONE TALKING TO KELSEY APOLOGIZING BEGGING US NOT TO TALK,” Megan wrote in the caption.
Tory later implied he was apologizing for cheating on Meg with her "best friend."
Megan has been adamant that Tory belongs "under the jail." She says she underwent surgery on her foot the night of the shooting and still has bullet fragments to prove it. In interviews since the alleged shooting, Megan has claimed Tory yelled "dance bitch" before firing the shots and has even accused Tory of trying to bribe her with $1 million not to tell on him.
In April, Tory Lanez was taken into custody after a judge deemed he violated a restraining order in the case. He was later freed after satisfying a new bond. In the month leading up the trial, Tory was placed on house arrest for allegedly assaulting August Alsina in September.
During jury selection last week, it was announced that Tory Lanez was facing a third felony charge of "discharging a firearm in a grossly negligent manner to cause bodily injury" and could now face up to 30 years in prison if found guilty on all charges.
