Canadian rapper Tory Lanez was sentenced to 10 years in prison by a Los Angeles court on Tuesday, August 9, for shooting singer Megan Thee Stallion in the feet during a 2020 argument. The 31-year-old artist, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, was found guilty in December of assault with a semi-automatic weapon, carrying an undeclared weapon and negligence.
His throwbacks with Megan Thee Stallion, who won three Grammy Awards in 2021 and notably collaborated with Beyoncé, made headlines in the US. The case has been seen as symbolic of the ongoing sexism in hip-hop and African American distrust of the police.
It all dates back to July 2020 and has its origins in a falling out between the two ex-lovers after an overly drunk night out with influencer Kylie Jenner. The two stars returned by car from the evening, accompanied by Megan Thee Stallion’s personal assistant, who had also fallen under the Canadian rapper’s spell. A quarrel then ensued.
During the process, the singer of Wild said that her ex-lover proposed to her ” A million dollars “ to shut up after I shot him. Prosecutors attributed the collision to this “l’ego meurtri” by Tory Lanez. The Canadian was irritated “Because Megan was more successful than him”He had flogged the prosecutor during the trial.
distrust of the police
Tory Lanez’s defense had denounced an investigation they felt was sloppy. His lawyer, George Mgdesyan, reduced this case to “A Question of Jealousy”and accused the singer’s assistant of firing.
The case was also marked by the singer’s distrust of police, who downplayed the facts the agents were confronted with just months after the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, two African Americans killed by law enforcement officers. The two stars’ car was pulled over by police shortly after the incident and Meghan Thee Stallion then claimed she injured her feet from broken glass.
“We were at the height of police violence back then”the singer explained at the hearing. “I don’t feel safe in the car. I don’t feel safe with the police either. »
In a press release sent to the judge on Monday, the singer explained that she didn’t know “A Day of Peace” since the attack. Tory Lanez “Didn’t just shoot me”she denounced. “He laughed at my trauma. »
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