Canadian singer Tory Lanez has been sentenced to 10 years in prison by a Los Angeles court for shooting US rapper Megan Thee Stallion.
Real name Daystar Peterson, 31-year-old Lanez was convicted in December of three felonies – assault with a semi-automatic firearm, having a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharging a firearm with gross negligence.
During the trial, the jury heard Lanez had fired a gun at the back of the WAP singer’s feet and shouted at her to dance as she walked away from a car in which they had been travelling on 12 July 2020.
The pair had left a party at Kylie Jenner’s Hollywood Hills home.
Edward Welbourn, prosecuting, said Megan Thee Stallion had been “lucky” on the night of the shooting.
“This was a heinous act of violence against a defenceless woman and a multi-year campaign of harassment,” Mr Welbourn told the court.
“Megan got lucky that night, but her luck shouldn’t negate [Lanez’s] culpability… her luck is not his luck.
“You know what Megan didn’t do? She didn’t shoot anybody. She didn’t embark on a campaign of disinformation.”
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He added: “This is as serious as it gets.
“If Megan had died, we would be here for a murder sentencing. And she could have died.”
Megan Thee Stallion gave evidence in person during the trial, and in a statement on Monday said she had “not experienced a single day of peace” since the incident.
Noting her absence from the hearing on Tuesday, Mr Welbourn continued: “[Lanez] put Megan through hell while this case was pending.
“She thinks about this case every single day. She was too intimidated and too scared to be in the same courtroom as the defendant.
“She will be affected by this for the rest of her life.
“He asks the court for mercy, but where was the mercy for Megan?”
Lanez did not appear to react as the sentence was read out, but addressed the court before it was handed down, saying he still considered himself and Megan Thee Stallion “friends”.
“That night was a night that everyone was drunk… I said some very immature things,” he said.
“If I could turn back the series of events… I would, but I can’t.
“But to think that I am some sort of callous individual is not the case. The victim was my friend… [and] she still is to this day.
“I did wrong that night and I take full responsibility and culpability for it.”
Lanez began releasing mixtapes in 2009 and saw a steady rise in popularity, moving on to major-label albums. His last two reached the top 10 on Billboard’s charts.
Megan Thee Stallion, now 28, was already a major rising star at the time of the shooting, and her prominence has surged since.
Born Megan Pete, she won a Grammy for best new artist in 2021, and she had number 1 singles with Savage, featuring Beyoncé, and as a guest artist on Cardi B’s WAP.
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