ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Skip to main content

What to know ahead of Tory Lanez's sentencing in Megan Thee Stallion's shooting

This combination photo shows rapper Tory Lanez performing at the Festival d'ete de Quebec, July 11, 2018, in Quebec City, Canada, left, and Megan Thee Stallion at the premiere of "P-Valley," June 2, 2022, in Los Angeles. A Los Angeles judge on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, denied a motion for a new trial from lawyers for Lanez, who was convicted of three felonies in December for shooting hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion in the feet and wounding her. (Photos by Amy Harris, left, Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File) This combination photo shows rapper Tory Lanez performing at the Festival d'ete de Quebec, July 11, 2018, in Quebec City, Canada, left, and Megan Thee Stallion at the premiere of "P-Valley," June 2, 2022, in Los Angeles. A Los Angeles judge on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, denied a motion for a new trial from lawyers for Lanez, who was convicted of three felonies in December for shooting hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion in the feet and wounding her. (Photos by Amy Harris, left, Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
Share
LOS ANGELES -

Three years have passed since hip-hop superstar Megan Thee Stallion was shot multiple times by rapper Tory Lanez in Los Angeles following a pool party at the home of Kylie Jenner.

On Monday, Lanez is scheduled to be sentenced, following his December conviction on three felony charges. Here's what you need to know about the case so far.

WHO ARE THE KEY FIGURES IN THE CASE?

Tory Lanez, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, is a Canadian artist who began releasing mixtapes in 2009 and saw a steady rise in popularity, moving on to major-label albums. The 31-year-old's last album reached the top 10 on the Billboard 200 chart, and he was a featured artist on Jack Harlow's No. 2 hit, "WHATS POPPIN."

Megan Thee Stallion, now 28, was already a major rising star at the time of the shooting, and her prominence has surged since. The Houston-based rapper born Megan Pete won a Grammy for best new artist in 2021, and had No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 with her own song "Savage," featuring Beyonce, and as a guest on Cardi B's "WAP."

ON WHAT CHARGES WAS TORY LANEZ CONVICTED?

A Los Angeles jury found Lanez guilty of three felonies: assault with a semiautomatic firearm; having a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle; and discharging a firearm with gross negligence.

WHAT SENTENCE DOES TORY LANEZ FACE?

Prosecutors are seeking a 13-year prison sentence and Lanez faces deportation to his native Canada.

HOW LONG DID IT TAKE FOR TORY LANEZ TO BE CHARGED IN THE SHOOTING?

"I suffered gunshot wounds, as a result of a crime that was committed against me and done with the intention to physically harm me," Megan wrote on Instagram on July 15, 2020. "I'm incredibly grateful to be alive and that I'm expected to make a full recovery."

At the time, police announced that officers responded to gunfire around 4:30 a.m. three days earlier, in the Hollywood Hills. They said a woman had been treated for a foot injury. Lanez was publicly identified and arrested on a concealed weapons charge, but not initially charged in the shooting.

Nearly two weeks later, Megan revealed in an Instagram Live video that she had been shot in both feet and had to get surgery. She named Lanez as the shooter in another Instagram Live video that September: "Yes ... Tory shot me. You shot me and you got your publicist and your people going to these blogs lying," Megan said, adding, "I didn't tell the police nothing because I didn't want us to get in no more trouble."

Lanez was subsequently arrested on charges of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle in early October of that year.

HOW DID TORY LANEZ RESPOND TO THE ALLEGATIONS AND SUBSEQUENT CHARGES?

The day after Megan named him as the shooter, Lanez released his "Daystar" album with a track featuring lyrics that appeared to be aimed at Megan: "How the f--- you get shot in your foot / don't hit no bones or tendons."

Once arrested, he posted bail at US$190,000 and was ordered to surrender all weapons and not contact Megan. He pleaded not guilty in November 2020 but violated the protective order after appearing with rapper DaBaby during a Rolling Loud Miami festival set in July 2021, moments after Megan got off stage. His bail was increased to US$250,000.

In April 2022, he was briefly jailed for sending tweets that appeared to target her, increasing his bail to US$350,000. And in October 2022, Lanez was placed on house arrest until the case went to trial after allegedly attacking another musician, August Alsina, at a concert, violating his bail.

WHAT DID THE TESTIMONY AT TRIAL REVEAL?

In December 2022, Megan testified in front of Lanez, stating that she left the party at Jenner's house in an SUV with Lanez, his bodyguard, and her friend and assistant Kelsey Harris. She said she had an intimate relationship with Lanez, to the chagrin of Harris, who had a "crush" on the rapper. Harris and Megan got into an argument, which escalated and eventually led to Lanez and Megan disparaging each other's careers. Megan exited the vehicle, she said, at which point Lanez began shooting at her feet and yelled, "Dance b-----!"

Lanez's defence attorney George Mgdesyan said in his opening statement that there was no way Megan would have been able to identify the shooter because they were behind her. Harris testified that Lanez did not shoot Megan, but prosecutors presented an audio recording in which Harris was heard saying, "He was shooting the gun." After the incident, Harris texted Megan's manager, "Help. Tory shot meg. 911." On the stand, Harris said she "wasn't truthful" in the recording.

Prosecutor Alexander Bott argued that Megan had no reason to lie about domestic violence and subject herself to online vitriol. Mgdesyan argued that Harris was the shooter and Lanez had attempted to stop the altercation. He contended Megan was lying because the idea that Lanez shot her was less damaging to her public image than the idea that her friend would have shot her during an argument over a man.

WHY HAS MEGAN THEE STALLION RECEIVED ONLINE HATE?

Since the shooting, Megan has been the target of widespread misinformation and vitriol spread through social media and inflamed with each development. A lot of the abuse, experts say, can be attributed to misogynoir -- a particular type of misogyny experienced by Black women.

Some of the hate was exacerbated by industry peers: Rappers Drake and 21 Savage targeted Megan by name in lyrics attempting to discredit her allegations. 50 Cent posted memes mocking her, likening the rapper to actor Jussie Smollett, who was convicted in 2021 for lying to police about a racist, homophobic attack.

Others have come to her defence -- #MeToo founder Tarana Burke and U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters have also spoken out about violence against Black women and were among the signers of an open letter supporting Megan. The star herself wrote an op-ed in the New York Times calling for the protection of Black women.

WHAT HAS TORY LANEZ DONE SINCE HIS CONVICTION?

As soon as Lanez's conviction was read in court last December, he was taken into custody. In the courtroom, Lanez's father denounced the "wicked system" that led to his conviction.

Sentencing was delayed as Lanez's attorneys filed a motion for a new trial, arguing that evidence was wrongly admitted. That request was denied in May 2023. Such motions immediately following a conviction are common and rarely succeed.

------

AP Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton contributed reporting. 

CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

Advocates have identified the woman who died this week after being shot by police in Surrey, B.C., as a South American refugee who was raising a young daughter.

Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.

A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.

The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

Provincial police investigating the death of a cat that was allegedly set on fire in Orillia earlier this week released surveillance video of a person of interest in the case.

Local Spotlight

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.