In 2020, Mr. Lanez, a Canadian rapper, was found guilty of shooting at a hip-hop star from Houston after they had a fight. On social media and in songs, people talked about it and made up stories about it.
Daystar Peterson, better known as Tory Lanez, is a Canadian rapper. On Friday, a jury in Los Angeles found him guilty of shooting fellow artist Megan Thee Stallion in both feet in the summer of 2020, after they had a fight about their relationships and careers.
Mr. Lanez, who is 30 years old, was found guilty of three felonies: assault with a semiautomatic handgun, carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle, and firing a gun in a careless way. He could get more than 20 years in prison and be sent back to his home country.
After a trial that went on for almost two weeks, the jury deliberated for about seven hours over two days before coming to a decision. After a time of house arrest, Mr. Lanez had been free on bail during the trial. He was taken into custody right away. The court date was set for January 27.
Megan Thee Stallion didn’t show up to court. As the verdict was read, Mr. Lanez didn’t move and just looked straight ahead. His father stood up and started yelling at the judge and prosecutors, which made Mr. Lanez look like he was dead. As bailiffs moved to block his way, he said, “God will judge you.”
Megan Thee Stallion’s attorney, Alex Spiro, said in a statement, “The jury got it right. I’m glad Meg got what was coming to her.”
The case was both a trashy tabloid story and a serious vote on how Black women are treated in hip-hop and beyond. It was closely watched for its famous characters and what it said about the recent court and public rulings on abuse claims against famous men like Johnny Depp and Harvey Weinstein.
Even though Mr. Lanez wasn’t a household name before the shooting, his fame has grown since then. He has gotten support from influential blogs, social media accounts, and rappers who are now talking heads, like 50 Cent and Joe Budden.
In court, Mr. Lanez’s defense brought up the possibility of another shooter, a friend of Megan Thee Stallion’s who was also involved in the fight, which happened on the way home from a party at the home of reality star and beauty mogul Kylie Jenner.
