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Megan Thee Stallion and Tory Lanez: How the shooting came to trial Tory Lanez: How the Megan Thee Stallion shooting trial played out
(3 months later)
Megan Thee Stallion reacted to Drake's new track after she appeared to be referenced in it Almost three years have passed since Tory Lanez shot Megan Thee Stallion in the feet
The trial of rapper Tory Lanez over the alleged shooting of Megan Thee Stallion has started in a Los Angeles court. Rapper Tory Lanez's sentencing for shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the feet has been delayed until August.
The accusation, and the long-awaited hearings, have sparked a war of words and divided the hip-hop world. A jury in the US found him guilty of firing at the Savage singer in the Hollywood Hills during an argument.
Texas-born Megan says she was injured when Tory Lanez shot at her feet after a Hollywood party in 2020. Almost three years have passed since the 2020 shooting, and a lot has happened inside - and outside - court.
He has denied multiple gun and assault charges, and as a jury hears both sides of the story, BBC Newsbeat looks at how we got to this point. It's a case that's divided fans and spilled out into the wider hip-hop world, with Drake being accused of taking sides at one point.
The party What the trial heard
Tory Lanez has denied shooting Megan after the party When the trial finally got going in Los Angeles late last year, after months of delays, Megan got to take the stand and give her version of events under oath.
It all begins at the party hosted by Kylie Jenner in the Hollywood Hills on 12 July 2020. "I can't believe I have to come here and do this," was how Megan started her testimony in the LA courtroom.
Megan, real name Megan Pete, and Tory Lanez, real name Daystar Peterson, are said to have got into an argument as they drove away from the event. She told the jury it all began at the party hosted by Kylie Jenner in the Hollywood Hills on 12 July 2020.
At a hearing last December, Los Angeles Police told a judge Megan demanded to be let out of the car and heard Tory shouting at her to dance. Megan, real name Megan Pete, and Tory Lanez, real name Daystar Peterson, got into an argument as they drove away from the event.
He then opened fire with a handgun, officers said. She told the trial the row started when she mocked Lanez' musical talents.
Megan's own account in court tells the same story - she testified that the row was triggered by her belittling Tory's musical talents. According to Megan, she demanded to be let out of the car and heard Tory shouting at her to dance.
The Savage singer had initially told police she'd been hurt by stepping on broken glass. He then opened fire with a handgun.
It was later, on Instagram, where she first said that Tory had shot her. Megan Thee Stallion gave evidence at the LA courthouse in December
The pair had been in a relationship but split before the accusations surfaced. 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."
He has denied charges of assault with a firearm and carrying a loaded firearm in a vehicle. He was also been ordered to stay at least 100 yards (91.4m) away from Megan. Megan told the courtroom Lanez had offered her $1m to keep quiet about what happened, and called her afterwards to apologise, claiming he was "just too drunk".
Shots Fired Through tears, she said she had regrets about coming forward, saying speaking out had been "torture".
Megan has referenced the shooting in her track Shots Fired Lanez hasn't been sentenced yet
Megan later spoke out about her injuries - saying she needed surgery to remove bullets from her feet which had missed her bones and tendons. Lanez was convicted in December of three charges: assault with a semiautomatic firearm, having a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharging a firearm with gross negligence.
"I know my mama and my daddy and my granny had to be looking out for me with that one, because where the bullets hit at, they missed everything, but they were in there," she previously said. Prosecutors are seeking a 13-year prison sentence and the 30-year-old faces deportation to his native Canada.
Both artists went on to reference the dispute in their work. But he still hasn't been sentenced.
In his song Money Over Fallout, Tory suggested the accusations against him were false, saying: "Megan people tryna frame me for a shooting." On 13 June, a judge accepted his lawyer's request to delay the sentencing until 7 August to give them more time to prepare their recommendations.
In the same track, he casts doubt on the shooting, asking: "How you get shot in your foot, don't hit no bones or tendons?" During the brief court hearing, Lanez - wearing an orange jail outfit and black cap - mostly kept his head down and barely made eye contact with anyone.
A few months later, Megan released her own song, Shots Fired, which accused Tory of lying "just to save face", insisting she is the one "speakin' facts". Why the case was so divisive
'I became the villain' Fans showed their support for the rapper outside the courthouse in LA
Outside the court, Lanez' supporters stood opposite crowds of fans carrying "We stand with Megan" signs.
And as Megan arrived at the building, his side heckled her by shouting: "Why are you lying on that boy?"
Accusations of lying have dogged the Grammy-winning rapper 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 Tory 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, 27, 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.
Taking sides
In his collab with 21 Savage, Drake appears to suggest Megan lied about being shotIn his collab with 21 Savage, Drake appears to suggest Megan lied about being shot
As the dispute escalated, people started taking sides, with Drake appearing to side with Tory. The dispute spilled out into the wider hip-hop world, with artists like 50 Cent and even Drake getting involved.
Megan spoke out after memes and abuse spread online, saying: "In some kind of way, I became the villain". Megan frequently defended herself on Twitter and said she'd been painted as aggressive and a "snitch".
She was accused of lying about being shot and has had to repeatedly defend herself, suggesting misogynoir - misogyny against black women - could be why she's been targeted. She suggested misogynoir - misogyny against black women - could be why she was targeted.
Megan has received support from artists including JoJo and Kehlani. Megan criticised Drake when he released Circo Loco, a collab with 21 Savage that appeared to reference the shooting case.
And in November, a group of prominent black women, including #MeToo founder Tarana Burke, released an open letter supporting Megan. Tory Lanez guilty of shooting Megan Thee Stallion
"You don't deserve any of this, Megan. You deserve to be heard, to be believed, and most importantly, to be safe," they wrote.
But Megan says she's been characterised as "aggressive" and a "snitch".
About a year after the shooting, DaBaby - who collaborated with Megan on her song Cry Baby - was criticised after bringing Tory on stage after her set at Rolling Loud Festival.
Why is Drake involved?
Drake has not publicly responded to the reaction to Circo Loco
While Drake and Tory reportedly haven't always seen eye-to-eye the pair, who are both Canadian, are now said to be on good terms.
Megan accused Drake of using her for "clout" on his track Circo Loco.
The collab with 21 Savage references a woman who "lie 'bout getting shots, but she still a stallion", which many, including Megan, think is about her.
He has not directly commented on the reaction to the track.
When his new album Her Loss, which includes Circo Loco, dropped, Megan reacted furiously on Twitter, writing: "since when it is cool to joke about women getting shot?".
She went on to say "weak... conspiracy theories" had been attached to her name and hit out at rappers who "pile on a black woman when she says one of y'all homeboys abused her".
She has accused Drake of wading in for "clout".
Tory remained tight-lipped when the track dropped, only tweeting a shrugging emoji on the day it was released.
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Drake has yet to respond to Newsbeat's request for comment.
'Help... Tory shot Meg'
The rapper seen arriving at the courthouse on Tuesday
The trial finally started after months of delays.
"I can't believe I have to come here and do this," Megan said in her testimony.
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 Thee Stallion testifies Tory Lanez shot herMegan Thee Stallion testifies Tory Lanez shot her
Megan Thee Stallion shooting trial begins in LA 50 Cent sorry for Megan Thee Stallion lying claims
In her account, Megan told the courtroom Tory had offered her $1m to keep quiet about what happened. But she did receive support from fellow artists, like JoJo and Kehlani.
She also said he'd called her after to apologise and claimed he was "just too drunk". And a group of prominent black women, including #MeToo founder Tarana Burke, released an open letter backing Megan.
Through tears, she said she had regrets about coming forward, saying speaking out had been "torture" and even disclosing suicidal thoughts. In Da Club rapper Fiddy eventually apologised for sharing memes casting doubt on Megan's version of events.
Tory's lawyer said the jury needed to keep an open mind and that it's a "case about jealousy," He said he'd changed his mind after hearing evidence from the trial.
Where do we go from here? 'A victory for every woman'
Outside the courthouse in LA, fans have been showing their support for the rapper Megan says the guilty verdict was a "victory for women"
Outside the court, there is a divide. Supporters of Tory heckled Megan asking "why are you lying on that boy?" when she arrived. Lanez has always denied the charges against him, he's filed various appeals and his lawyers could launch other motions after his sentence.
On the other side, fans carry signs saying "We stand with Megan". 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.
If found guilty, Tory could be jailed for up to 23 years. 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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