Canadian rapper and singer Tory Lanez has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for shooting Megan Thee Stallion.
He was found guilty on three gun-related charges in December 2022 which included assault with a semiautomatic handgun; carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle; and discharging a firearm with gross negligence.
Following that he was held in county jail. He was convicted of shooting fellow entertainer and Grammy winner Megan Thee Stallion in the foot during an argument after they left Kylie Jenner’s party in 2020, and faced a maximum of 22 years and eight months in prison. The shooting left Meg needing surgery to remove bullet fragments from her foot.
The prosecutors on the case had initially called for him to be sentenced to 13 years in prison claiming that “he lacked remorse and was clearly incapable of accepting any responsibility for his own actions.”
Lanez’s defense team, on the other hand, requested for a probation as well as a residential drug treatment program that would help to curb his alcohol problems.
During the hearing, the California state judge read summaries of 76 supportive letters he received from Mr. Lanez’s fans and supporters to the court; one of which was from fellow rapper Iggy Azalea.
“This is a statement for all survivors that their lives matter and that there is zero tolerance for the torture that accompanies violence”, said Megan Thee Stallion, who chose not to attend the sentence because she claimed she could not be in the same room with Lanez.
After his sentence was read, the rapper issued his statement to the court saying, “If I could turn back time on the series of events that night, I would, she was my friend and someone I still care about to this day. Everything I did wrong that night I take full responsibility for.”
Many social media users and since taken to social media, taking sides on the case. While some felt that Lanez’s conviction was well deserved, others felt that 10 years was too harsh a sentence for a ‘grazed foot’.
