Rapper Tory Lanez has been found guilty of shooting hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion in the foot after a 2020 party in the Hollywood Hills.
The Canadian rapper, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, faces more than 20 years in prison after a Los Angeles jury convicted him of assault and weapons charges on Friday afternoon.
A jury heard that Megan Thee Stallion, whose real name is Megan Pete, was shot after she and Peterson argued in his SUV after leaving a party at the house of Kylie Jenner.
She testified that the argument became heated when they began attacking each other’s musical careers.
“I feel like that really rubbed him the wrong way,” she testified, according to The Associated Press. “He kept yelling and cursing.”
Ms Pete, 27, told the Los Angeles court that Peterson had shot a handgun towards the back of her feet and told her to “dance b****” after she got out of his SUV and walked away from it.
She required surgery to remove bullet fragments from her feet and said that Peterson offered her $1m to stay quiet about the incident as he was on probation.
Peterson’s lawyer claimed that the shots had actually been fired by Ms Pete’s former best friend Kelsey Harris in a jealous fight between the two women over Peterson, and claimed he had tried to stop the shooting.
“Megan Pete is a liar. She lied about everything in this case from the beginning,” attorney George Mgdesyan said. “She lied under oath here.”
Ms Harris has said that she did not fire the gun and that Peterson was the shooter.
Peterson, who was wearing a pink coat and trousers and handcuffed in court, did not react as the verdict was read.
But after the jury left the courtroom the rapper’s father shouted angrily at deputies.
“This wicked system stands judged before God almighty!” he shouted, according to The Associated Press.
He then pointed at the prosecutors in the case and shouted: “You two are evil, wicked people. You know exactly what you did.”
Peterson, 30, will be sentenced on 27 January.
In a statement released after the verdict, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón praised Megan Thee Stallion’s “bravery,” and said that she “showed incredible courage and vulnerability” despite “repeated and grotesque attacks.”
“Women, especially Black women, are afraid to report crimes like assault and sexual violence because they are too often not believed,” Mr Gascón said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
