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RapperTory Lanezcontinued to maintain his innocence on Thursday in his first statement sincebeing sentenced to 10 years in prison Tuesdayfor shootingMegan Thee Stallionin the feet in the summer of 2020.
“I have never let a hard time intimidate me,” Lanez, 31, wrote in anInstagram post. “I will never let no jail time eliminate me. Regardless of how they try to spin my words, I have always maintained my innocence and I always will.”
The “Luv” performer went on to say that he only “took responsibility for all verbal and intimate moments that I shared with the parties involved… That’s it.”
Tory Lanez/ Instagram
Lanez, born Daystar Peterson, told the court he took “full responsibility” for what he did on the night of July 12, 2020, according to theAssociated Press. However, in his new statement, Lanez said he is in “no way shape or form” apologizing for “the charges I’m being wrongly convicted of.” He remains “on the stance that I refuse to apologize for something that I did not do,” he wrote.
“I’ve faced adversity my whole life and every time it looked like I would lose, I came out on top,” Lanez continued. “This is nothing but another moment where my back is against the wall and I refuse to stop fighting till I come out victorious. Tough times don’t last, tough people do.”
Lanez ended his statement with a message to his friends, family, and fans, thanking them for their “continued support.”
Lanez was sentenced on Tuesday after a jury in Los Angeles Superior Courtfound him guilty of assaulting28-year-old Megan (real name Megan Pete) with a semi-automatic firearm, carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle, and discharging a firearm with gross negligence in December 2022. The sentence was expected on Monday, but Judge David Herriford allowed attorneys for both sides to call witnesses to give statements on Lanez’s potential sentence. Lanez had over 70 letters of support, including one from rapperIggy Azalea.
Roy Rochlin/Getty; P. Lehman / Barcroft Media via Getty
The felony charges stemmed from a dispute after Lanez, Megan and her former assistant and ex-friendKelsey Harrisleft a pool party atKylie Jenner’s home in Los Angeles on July 12, 2020. While driver Jaquan Smith was driving them around in a Cadillac Escalade, an argument began in the vehicle and moved outside onto a sidewalk in the Hollywood Hills.
While Megan started walking away, she heard Lanez shout, “Dance, bitch!” as Lanez started shooting a 9mm pistol at her feet,according to prosecutors in court. She was injured, dropped to the ground, and crawled to safety. County Assistant District Attorney Alexander Bott said in court that Megan’s ex-friend Harris freaked out when Lanez approached the two women after he fired five shots at Megan while she “lay bleeding in a random driveway.” The “Sweetest Pie” rapper was later hospitalized and underwent surgery.
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During the hearing on Monday and Tuesday, Lanez looked “stoic” in court, according to a source. Before Herriford sentenced him, Lanez spoke for several minutes and asked for leniency.
“If I could turn back the series of events that night and change them, I would," Lanez says, according to theAP. “The victim was my friend. The victim is someone I still care for to this day." He added, “Everything I did wrong that night, I take full responsibility for.”
He received 10 months of credit for time served since his conviction, the AP notes.
Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty
On June 6,prosecutors requestedJudge Herriford sentence Lanez to at least 13 years in prison, while the rapper’s defense argued in anAug. 2 memothat Lanez should be sent to rehab due to his alcohol addiction and severe childhood trauma, journalistMeghann Cuniff of Legal Affairs and Trials' reported.
Lanez previously wrote about hisexperience in jail on Instagram on June 18. “I want ya’ll to know I haven’t lost my faith in God and that I’m in high spirits. I’m praying for the best and remain confident that God will bring me through this. I have spent the last 7 months rehabilitating my mind, my body and my soul. Though I came to jail a good person, I will leave a great person,” he wrote. “I won’t let anything stop me from being a positive light and a help to those in need.”
source: people.com
