On Thursday, October 8, rapper Tory Lanez was charged with felony assault in conjunction with the shooting of Megan Thee Stallion. New York Times pop music reporter Joe Coscarelli broke the news, tweeting that Lanez, born Daystar Peterson, had been charged by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office with “assaulting a female friend in the Hollywood Hills earlier this year.” Lanez was reportedly charged with one felony count of assault with a semiautomatic firearm — personal use of a firearm — as well as carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle. While Megan Thee Stallion was not named in either charge, it is clear that Lanez is being apprehended for the altercation he had on July 12 with Megan, in which she claims that Lanez shot her as she attempted to leave his SUV after Kylie Jenner’s pool party. “On July 12, the defendant and the 24-year-old victim got into an argument while riding into an SUVin the Hollywood Hills,” reads the statement from the L.A County District Attorney’s Office. “The victim exited the vehicle and Peterson is accused of shooting several times at her feet and wounding her.” The night of the incident, Megan Thee Stallion did not name Lanez as her assaulter and Lanez was arrested for possession of a firearm.
Since that evening, Megan has come forward and publicly accused Lanez of shooting her, sharing her story as well as images of her gunshot wounds on Instagram. Two weeks ago, Lanez used speculation surrounding the incident to promote his new album DAYSTAR, a 17-track album that purportedly shares his version of the events. In the new charges, the District Attorney’s Office alleges that Tory inflicted great bodily injury upon the unidentified female victim. When asked about the assault charges, a representative for Lanez, Florida-based attorney Jim Lewis, said in a statement to Vulture, “The victim doesn’t appear to be seriously injured, since I saw her on Saturday Night Live last week,” referencing Megan Thee Stallion’s October 3rd musical performance on SNL, in which Megan advocated for the protection of black woman. Megan Thee Stallion’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, said, “No comment.”
If convicted, Lanez faces up to 22 years and 8 months in prison.
