For the past two years, Megan Thee Stallion and Tory Lanez have been going back and forth in a classic case of “he said, she said,” over the validity of claims that Lanez shot the Houston rapper in the foot after they both attended a party at Kylie Jenner’s house.
But after multiple delays, opening statements in Lanez’s felony assault trial finally started on Monday in a Los Angeles courtroom.
New revelations from potential testimonies could be key in deciding whether Lanez will be convicted of assault with a firearm causing great bodily injury, concealing a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharging a firearm with gross negligence. If could guilty, the Canadian rapper faces 22 years and eight months in prison, plus deportation.
According to Rolling Stone, Los Angeles County Assistant District Attorney Alexander Bott revealed to the jury in his opening statement that the “Savage” rapper’s former best friend and assistant Kelsey Harris will testify that she saw Lanez shoot Megan in both of her feet on the night of July 12, 2020.
From Rolling Stone:
“Kelsey will tell you that she just saw her close friend get shot by the defendant,” Los Angeles County Assistant District Attorney Alexander Bott told jurors in his opening statement, adding that Harris rushed to Megan’s side as the “Savage” rapper lay bleeding in a random driveway in the Hollywood Hills. Bott said Harris will testify she freaked out when Lanez approached the two women after he fired five shots.
“Kelsey, she’ll tell you she didn’t know if the defendant still had this gun. She didn’t know what the defendant was capable of, if he was going to continue his assault. Her defensive instincts kicked into gear, and she approached the defendant. She’ll tell you the defendant physically assaulted her at that point. He pulled her by her hair, and he either punched her or slapped her.”
Bott also said that Harris sent multiple text messages shortly after the shooting to Megan’s bodyguard Justin Edison which could prove that she was indeed shot in her feet. According to Rolling Stone, a text chain was shown in court that showed Harris texting Edison, “Help,” in one text. “Tory Shot Megan,” in another, and “911” in the last message.
Naturally, Lanez’s defense attorney George Mgdesyan made a conflicting opening statement, insisting that the jury keep an “open mind” on what occurred the night of the shooting.
More from Rolling Stone:
On Monday, Mgdesyan said the alcohol-fueled fight started when Megan purportedly became “jealous” that Peterson was spending time with Jenner in the pool and didn’t want to leave her house. He said Kris Jenner’s boyfriend Corey Gamble was a witness to the genesis of the argument and would take the witness stand.
Mgdesyan told jurors Peterson eventually agreed to leave the party with Megan and Harris, and that the fighting escalated in the vehicle when Peterson blurted out that he and Megan had been intimate. The lawyer said Harris, who initially took Megan’s side against Peterson, became enraged with her longtime friend from Houston because she also had been in a sexual relationship with Peterson. Harris allegedly complained, “Megan did the same thing to me when I was with DaBaby, another rapper, and when I was dating Ben Simmons, the NBA basketball player,” Mgdesyan told jurors.
Shockingly, Ben Simmons himself denied the allegations on his Instagram Monday, sharing a video of Rick Ross jokingly saying, “False allegations!”
Although, the prosecution claimed that the drunken fight started after Megan criticized Lanez’s musical talent as an artist, not because they were arguing over past intimate relationships, according to Rolling Stone.
Bott further revealed that after Lanez was released from jail, Megan’s security guard, Justin Edison, went to the Canadian artist’s house to pick up some of the Traumazine rapper’s belongings and that he confessed he was the shooter.
If all that was said in just day one of this assault trial, we could be in for a long, messy and uncomfortable trial. But whether it’s enough to get a conviction, is yet to be seen.