- "Say it" rapper Tory Lanez was found guilty of all three charges in his felony assault trial.
- Lanez was on trial for two weeks, accused by the Los Angeles DA of shooting Megan Thee Stallion.
Canadian rapper Tory Lanez was found guilty Friday of all three charges brought against him in the shooting of Megan Thee Stallion on July 12, 2020, after a gathering at Kylie Jenner's house.
A Los Angeles jury convicted Lanez of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, having a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle, and discharging a firearm with gross negligence after the Los Angeles District Attorney's office brought the charges against Lanez in 2020 and 2022.
Lanez, whose birth name is Daystar Peterson, pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied shooting Megan. He now faces up to 22 years in prison and possible deportation to Canada.
The trial began on December 12 and the jury began deliberating Thursday, reaching a verdict on Friday.
"The jury got it right. I am thankful there is justice for Meg," Megan's attorney, Alex Spiro, told Insider.
District Attorney Gascón echoed Spiro's sentiments in a statement.
"I want to start by highlighting the bravery of Megan Pete," Gascón wrote. "You showed incredible courage and vulnerability with your testimony despite repeated and grotesque attacks that you did not deserve. You faced unjust and despicable scrutiny that no woman should ever face and you have been an inspiration to others across LA County and the nation."
Lanez's family members reacted angrily to the verdict, causing an uproar in and outside the Los Angeles courtroom Friday evening.
"This is a wicked system!" Lanez's father, Sonstar Peterson, screamed from inside the courtroom when the verdict was read aloud, according to Law and Crime reporter Meghann Cuniff. She added that Lanez was escorted out of the courtroom in handcuffs while Lanez's father and stepmother shouted.
Lanez's father and a group of others were also captured on video shouting outside of the courthouse.
"It's not over!" his father shouted repeatedly. "God does not lose! And even though we've come to this juncture, trust me, you will see that our God does not fail."
—philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) December 23, 2022
Megan, whose birth name is Megan Pete, testified that she initially mischaracterized her wounds to the authorities the day the incident occurred.
She then said on July 15, 2020, that she had encountered a "traumatic" incident in which someone shot her "with the intention to physically harm" her, Insider previously reported. But, at the time, she did not disclose the details of the incident.
In August 2020, Megan then said on social media that Lanez was the one that shot her feet. She'd also posted graphic now-deleted photos of her injuries after commenters accused her of lying.
In an August Instagram live video, she said, "I didn't want the police to shoot me because there's a gun in the car."
"You think I'm about to tell the police that we, us Black people, that we've got a gun in the car?" she added.
George Mgdesyan, Lanez's attorney, defense strategy appeared to be painting a picture of an incompetent police department that failed to follow proper procedures and suggested that Kelsey Harris, Megan's ex-best friend and former assistant who was present during the incident, was the shooter.
Deputy DAs Alex Bott and Kathy Ta relied heavily on emotional testimony from Megan, a recorded interview from Harris, and multiple texts and phone calls from Lanez apologizing after the incident.
Mgdesyan did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.