How the Megan Thee Stallion shooting trial played out

Tory Lanez’s arrest, trial and sentencing for shooting Megan Thee Stallion is one of the longest-running sagas in the world of hip-hop.

And in its latest development, his appeal against his conviction for the attack on his fellow musician was rejected.

The 33-year-old rapper tried to argue that evidence admitted into his trial shouldn’t have been allowed, and that jurors in the case weren’t given the correct instructions about considering their verdicts.

Lanez, real name Daystar Peterson, had also appealed against his 10-year prison sentence, which he claimed was too harsh.

In a 46-page response, judges in California rejected all of his claims and said any mistakes that were made would not have changed the guilty verdicts.

As the case has played out over the past five years, it’s involved a bitter war of words, a dramatic trial and some of the biggest names in rap.

The trial finally got going in December 2022 after months of delays.

Megan got to take the stand in a Los Angeles court and give her version of events under oath.

“I can’t believe I have to come here and do this,” was how she started her testimony in the LA courtroom.

She told jurors it all began at a party hosted by Kylie Jenner in the Hollywood Hills on 12 July 2020.

Megan, real name Megan Pete, and Lanez got into an argument as they drove away from the event.

She told the trial the row started when she mocked Lanez’ musical talents.

According to Megan, she demanded to be let out of the car and heard him shouting at her to dance.

He then opened fire with a handgun.

The jury heard how she left a trail of blood at the scene and minutes after the shooting a friend messaged her security saying: “Help… Tory shot Meg.”

Megan told the courtroom Lanez had offered her $1m (£760,000) to keep quiet about what happened, and called her afterwards to apologise, claiming he was “just too drunk”.

Through tears, she said she had regrets about coming forward, saying speaking out had been “torture”.

Accusations of lying dogged Grammy-winning rapper Megan throughout the case, because her story changed early on.

She initially told police she’d been hurt by stepping on broken glass.

It wasn’t until later, on Instagram, when she first said that Lanez had shot her.

She then told an interviewer she’d needed surgery to remove bullets from her feet which had missed her bones and tendons.

Megan, 30, said she lied to officers at the time because she didn’t want to “get in more trouble”.

It sparked a long war of words between her and Lanez – they both released tracks about the case.

In his song Money Over Fallout, Lanez accused Megan of trying to frame him, while Megan said she was the one “speakin’ facts” in her track Shots Fired.

The war of words was echoed by fans, with opposing camps of supporters turning up outside court for the trial.

Lanez’ supporters stood opposite crowds of fans carrying “We stand with Megan” signs.

And as she arrived at the building, his side heckled her by shouting: “Why are you lying on that boy?”

The dispute spilled out into the wider hip-hop world, with artists like 50 Cent and even Drake getting involved.

Megan frequently defended herself on Twitter and said she’d been painted as aggressive and a “snitch”.

She suggested misogynoir – misogyny against black women – could be why she was targeted.

Megan criticised Drake when he released Circo Loco, a collab with 21 Savage that appeared to reference the shooting case.

But she did receive support from fellow artists, like JoJo and Kehlani.

And a group of prominent black women, including #MeToo founder Tarana Burke, released an open letter backing Megan.

In Da Club rapper Fiddy eventually apologised for sharing memes casting doubt on Megan’s version of events.

He said he’d changed his mind after hearing evidence from the trial.

The case remains divisive though, Australian rapper Iggy Azalea was one of 70 people to send the judge a letter in support of Lanez ahead of the sentencing hearing.

Lanez was convicted of three charges: assault with a semiautomatic firearm, having a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharging a firearm with gross negligence.

During a two-day sentencing hearing lawyers quarrelled over aggravating factors.

Prosecutors had sought a 13-year prison sentence, while his team asked for probation and drug and alcohol treatment instead.

In a victim impact statement from Megan read to the court during sentencing, she spoke of the psychological impact of the attack and the aftermath.

“Since I was viciously shot by the defendant, I have not experienced a single day of peace,” the statement said.

“Slowly but surely, I’m healing and coming back, but I will never be the same.”

Lanez has always denied the charges against him, has filed various appeals and released an album while serving his sentence.

He was also attacked by a fellow inmate earlier this year, who stabbed him 14 times, causing two collapsed lungs and wounds to his back, torso, head and face.

A convicted killer was named as a suspect in the investigation.

Since the guilty verdict, Megan has tried to reclaim the narrative around the shooting and spoken about the effect “false narratives” and “conspiracy theories” had on her.

She has also obtained a five-year restraining order against Lanez, and launched a defamation case against a pro-Lanez blogger.

In an Elle Magazine feature, she said the guilty verdict “was a victory for every woman who has ever been shamed, dismissed, and blamed for a violent crime committed against them”.

“We can’t control what others think, especially when the lies are juicier than the truth,” she said.

“But as a society, we must create safer environments for women to come forward about violent behaviour without fear of retaliation.”

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