Rapper Tory Lanez Sentenced to 10yrs in prison for shooting Megan Thee Stallion

Canadian rapper Tory Lanez has been sentenced to 10 years for shooting hip-hop artist Megan Thee Stallion at a party in July 2020.

Megan Pete said she and Lanez were leaving a Hollywood Hills house party in July of 2020 when he fired a gun at her during an argument about their careers and relationship. The singer said Lanez told her to “dance b***h” before shooting her in the feet while they sat inside a car. 

Lanez’s attorneys however argued in court that he wasn’t the one who shot the singer, but that it was instead a then-friend named Kelsey Harris. 

Megan Thee Stallion said on the witness stand that Lanez immediately tried to cover up the shooting by offering her and Harris a $1 million bribe and claiming he was “just too drunk.”

Megan needed surgery and spent four days in the hospital before physical therapy allowed her to walk again.

Lanez has been in jail since December, when he was convicted of three felony charges related to the 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion: assault with a semiautomatic handgun, carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharging a firearm with gross negligence.

Lanez had pleaded not guilty to the assault, and his attorneys argued he should be sentenced to probation and ordered to enter a residential substance abuse program, but prosecutors highlighted Lanez’s “high level of callousness” in the shooting and said he deserved a lengthy prison sentence for shooting the singer “without any justifiable provocation or reason” while she was “unarmed and completely defenseless.”

Megan did not attend the sentencing hearing, saying she could not bear to be in the same room as Lanez but wrote a statement that was read in court on Monday, the New York Times reported.

“He not only shot me, he made a mockery of my trauma,” the statement said. “This is a statement for all survivors that their lives matter and there is zero tolerance for the torture that accompanies violence.”

Jose Baez, a defense lawyer representing Lanez, told reporters outside the courthouse that he thought the sentence was too harsh and that Lanez would appeal his conviction, saying he had not received a fair trial.

“I have seen homicide case, other cases where there’s a death and the person still gets less than 10 years,” Baez said. “It’s just another example of somebody being punished for their celebrity status, someone being utilized as an example.”

At a press conference following the sentencing on Tuesday, LA County District Attorney George Gascón explained how Lanez attempted to “silence” Stallion after she accused him of shooting her in 2020.

“Over the past three years, [Lanez] has engaged in a pattern of conduct that was intended to intimidate [Stallion], silence her and keep her from defending and bringing her truth out,” Gascón said.

“Despite the physical violence, verbal attacks and attempts at public humiliation, [Stallion] remained strong and shared the events of that fateful night with the jury and the world,” the district attorney continued.

Stallion’s position as a popular entertainer has “brought a spotlight on the important issue of violence against women,” Gascón added.

“There are many people in our community that endure acts of violence every day from people close to them and feel reluctant to come forward when this happens. I hope that [Stallion’s] bravery gives hope to those that feel helpless,” he said.