Tory Lanez Trial In Megan Thee Stallion's Shooting Starts In Los Angeles

The trial of Canadian rapper Tory Lanez for the 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion kicks off on Monday in a Los Angeles courtroom.

Lanez, whose given name is Daystar Peterson, is charged with assault with a semiautomatic firearm – personal use of a firearm, intentional discharge of a firearm and negligent discharge of a firearm over the July 2020 shooting of Megan Pete, whose rap name is Megan Thee Stallion. Lanez has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Stallion and prosecutors allege that she, Lanez and her now-former friend, Kelsey Harris, had an argument in their car after leaving a party at Kylie Jenner's home in Los Angeles on July 12, 2020 and that Stallion insisted on getting out of the car twice. She was coaxed into getting back in the car the first time, but when she went to exit the car the second time, Lanez allegedly yelled, "dance b*tch" and then shot at her feet. (Lanez's security guard was reportedly driving.)

RELATED: Megan Thee Stallion Wants Her Alleged Shooter Tory Lanez To 'Go To Jail'

Neighbors in the vicinity of the shooting called the police, and Stallion initially denied having been shot. She has since said that she told responding officers that her feet were bleeding a result of stepping on broken glass because she was scared that the police might hurt her, Lanez or Harris. 

Stallion has also since said that Lanez offered her $1 million to stay quiet about the shooting. Lanez was arrested at the scene for firearms possession and charged with assault in October 2020.

Tory Lanez and Megan Thee Stallion Photo: Getty Images

Lanez has repeatedly denied that he shot Stallion — despite bullet fragments being removed from her feet — and has said the argument started because he was sleeping with both Stallion and Harris. Stallion denied ever being in a sexual relationship with him, and has said she is no longer friends with Harris because the other woman chose to support Lanez's story after the shooting. (Stallion alleges that Lanez invested in Harris' business as a result.)

In a song released after the shooting, Lanez denied that Stallion was shot at all, rapping "How the f*** you get shot in your foot, don’t hit no bones or tendons?”

Stallion said in an interview with Rolling Stone that her injuries required surgery and a four-day hospitalization, followed by physical therapy to walk again.

Additionally, prosecutors have a voice mail of Lanez apologizing to a friend of Stalion's — his lawyer told the Los Angeles Times that he wasn't apologizing for the shooting — as well as a text message apology he alleged sent to Stallion, though he has since said the apology was for sleeping with Harris, not shooting her. Harris is reportedly refusing to cooperate with the police and prosecutors in the case, but is listed as a witness. Stallion's lawyer told the paper that the prosecution will introduce at least one of Harris' texts after the incident in which she wrote Lanez did, in fact, shoot Stallion.

Lanez's lawyer told Law & Crime that his client was not the shooter and that it was possible Lanez would testify in his own defense. It's unclear who else in the car he planned to implicate, but prosecutors reportedly have Instagram comments from Lanez stating that it wasn't Harris.

The defense reportedly plans to argue that the fighting started at Kylie Jenner's party, and wants to call Jenner and her mother's fiancé, Corey Gamble, to testify.

The lead detective in the case, Ryan Stogner, was reportedly fired from the force after his estranged wife made an allegation of domestic violence, though prosecutors did not charge him in the incident. He is not listed as a prosecutor witness, but the defense plans to call him to accuse him of screwing up the investigation.

"He only chose to do certain things that were incriminating to my client," Lanez's lawyer told the judge in the case.

Lanez faces more than 20 years in jail if convicted, and can be deported and barred from re-entering the United States if convicted.