What was Tory Lanez charged with?

Rapper Tory Lanez is facing prison time after being convicted of shooting and injuring fellow musical performer Megan Thee Stallion.

The 10-year sentence faced by Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, stemmed from an argument between the two rap stars in Hollywood Hills back in 2020. The consumption of alcohol was cited as a contributing factor in the disagreement, with Peterson’s own lawyers arguing in a bid to lower his sentence that his abuse of the substance “played a role in the shooting,” according to the Los Angeles Times.

Before the recent sentencing hearing, Peterson was initially convicted back in December 2022 and could have served up to 22 years in prison. While the sentencing was initially supposed to occur in January this year, it faced multiple delays. Following a change in attorneys and the denial of a motion for a retrial, Peterson finally got handed down a sentence on Tuesday, ABC News reported.

What were the charges against Tory Lanez?

The trio of felony charges Peterson faced late last year included “assault with a semiautomatic firearm; having a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle, and discharging a firearm with gross negligence,” according to KTLA.

Megan Thee Stallion, whose real name is Megan Pete, spoke out about the shooting back in May for Elle magazine, saying she doesn’t consider herself a victim but a “survivor.” Reflecting on the public denial from Peterson and the conversations it has sparked about the intersectionality of misogyny and racism, Pete added:

“I have truly survived the unimaginable. Not only did I survive being shot by someone I trusted and considered a close friend, but I overcame the public humiliation of having my name and reputation dragged through the mud by that individual for the entire world to see.”

Why did Tory Lanez shoot Megan Thee Stallion?

The details of the fight that apparently escalated to gunfire are that it occurred on July 2020 after both Peterson and Pete “left a pool party at Kylie Jenner’s house in Los Angeles,” according to NPR. As the LA Times noted, it was an “alcohol-fueled argument” as well. The injury that Pete sustained was on “both her feet,” ABC News said. Other than that, we don’t know the particulars of the actual subject matter of the discussion at hand that occurred between Peterson and Pete.

However, Pete testified that Peterson shot her as she walked away from an SUV following the pool party. The “Hot Girl Summer” artist alleged that Peterson shouted for her to dance as he fired bullets at the back of her feet, out of which she had to get bullet fragments surgically removed later on.

Immediately prior to the sentencing, Peterson pleaded before Superior Court Judge David Herriford, saying if he “could turn back the series of events that night and change them,” he would. Peterson added:

“The victim was my friend. The victim is someone I still care for to this day […] Everything I did wrong that night, I take full responsibility for.”

The entire incident has opened up conversations in pop culture about misogynoir, the dynamics of gender within the world of hip-hop, and online bullying.