Canadian rapper Tory Lanez charged in shooting of Megan Thee Stallion
Lanez faces 2 felony charges in relation to the July incident
Los Angeles prosecutors have charged Canadian rapper Tory Lanez with shooting fellow rapper Megan Thee Stallion during an argument earlier this year.
Lanez is accused of shooting at Megan Thee Stallion's feet, hitting her, after she left a SUV during a fight in the Hollywood Hills on July 12.
He faces two felony charges — one count of assault with a semi-automatic firearm and carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle. A message sent to his representative was not immediately returned.
Lanez, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, is due to be arraigned Tuesday in Los Angeles. If convicted, the 28-year-old faces a maximum sentence of roughly 23 years.
Megan Thee Stallion, whose real name is Megan Pete, is identified in the felony complaint only as Megan P.
She had declined to name Lanez as the person who shot her in social media posts and videos on the subject for more than a month. But on Aug. 20, she said in an Instagram video that, "Yes ... Tory shot me," and urged him to "stop lying" about the incident.
On Sept. 24, Lanez said on his social media accounts that he would break his silence on the incident that evening, but that announcement turned out to be a teaser for the release of his fifth studio album, Daystar.
He spoke publicly on Friday, saying on Twitter, "the truth will come to the light."
⏰ will 🗣 ... and the truth will come to the light ... I have all faith in God to show that ... love to all my fans and people that have stayed true to me & know my heart ... a charge is not a conviction . If you have supported me or meg thru this , I genuinely appreciate u .
—@torylanez
Lanez has not reached the stardom that Megan Thee Stallion has, but had a Billboard top 20 hit with Luv in 2016 and has had a successful run of mixtapes and major-label records since his career began in 2009.
At the time of the shooting, Megan Thee Stallion was already a major hip-hop star following a triumphant year that saw her nominated for artist of the year at the MTV Video Music Awards. Since the shooting, her guest stint on the Cardi B song WAP helped turn the track — and music video — into a huge cultural phenomenon, and she has performed on the season premiere of Saturday Night Live.
With files from CBC News