(Los Angeles) Canadian rapper Tory Lanez, on trial for shooting singer Megan Thee Stallion in the feet in 2020, allegedly offered a million dollars to try to buy her silence, the American hip-hop star testified on Tuesday in a Los Angeles court.
The trial, which opened on Monday, has its origins in a dispute between the two ex-lovers after a too drunk Hollywood evening at Kylie Jenner’s house.
In this case, Tory Lanez is notably prosecuted for using a semi-automatic weapon and carrying an unregistered firearm.
The two stars were returning from the evening by car, accompanied by a friend of Megan Thee Stallion who had also fallen in love with the Canadian rapper. An argument then broke out and the singer asked to get out of the car.
PHOTO JORDAN STRAUSS, JORDAN STRAUSS/INVISION/AP
Megan Thee Stallion
The Canadian then opened fire at his feet, “after saying, ‘Dance, bitch,'” Meghan Thee Stallion told the court on Tuesday.
” I am shocked. I’m afraid. I hear the shots going off and I can’t believe he’s shooting at me, ”explained the artist, Megan Pete of his real name.
With bleeding feet and wearing a simple thong, the avant-garde rapper, winner of three Grammy Awards in 2021, agreed to get back in the car.
The rapper then “started to apologize”, testified Meghan Thee Stallion and would have told him: “I will give you a million dollars if you do not say anything. »
Tory Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, has so far denied any responsibility.
Shortly after the incident, the car of the two stars was stopped by the police. Transported to the hospital, the singer initially claimed to have injured her feet with pieces of glass.
In court on Tuesday, Meghan Thee Stallion blamed her reaction on distrust of the police, just months after the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, two African Americans killed by law enforcement.
“At the time, we were at the peak of police violence,” she recalled. “I don’t feel safe in the car. I don’t feel safe around the police either. »
“In the black community, it’s not really acceptable to cooperate with the police,” she added to explain her mistrust.
A weapon was found in the car, according to the investigation, and gunshot residue was found on each of the two speedboats.
At the opening of the trial on Monday, the defense of Tory Lanez promised the jurors to dismantle the charges against him. It is a “case of jealousy”, insisted his lawyer George Mgdesyan.