Megan Thee Stallion took the stand in the shooting trial of Tory Lanez in Los Angeles on Tuesday morning. In the more than two years since the altercation following a pool party at Kylie Jenner’s Los Angeles home in July 2020, the rapper has opened up numerous times in interviews and on social media about the night, claiming that Lanez shot her on her feet outside of an SUV . Now, after pleading not guilty to three counts of assault and firearms related to the alleged shooting, Lanez said she was troubled about telling the story again.
“I just don’t feel good,” Megan said as she began her statement. according to to Rolling Stone. A prosecutor had asked if she was nervous. “I can’t believe I have to come up here and do this.”
Megan arrived at the courthouse in a purple Sergio Hudson suit and was greeted by a small group of supporters holding a sign that read “I Stand With Megan.” Los Angeles Times reported.
In her statement, she went on to share how the fight between her and Lanez began. Megan said while she, Lanez and her former friend and assistant Kelsey Harris were in the car, Lanez revealed that he and Megan had a sexual relationship. “Because I knew Kelsey had a crush on Tory, I didn’t want to hurt her feelings,” she is said to have said, “and I didn’t want her to know that I was involved with him in any way.”
As the argument escalated, Megan said, they began to argue about the status of their rap career. “Tory basically told me I don’t suck,” she testified aloud Rolling Stone‘, ‘and I said, ‘Actually, you don’t suck. Here you are in your career. Here you are with your music.” And I feel like that really rubbed him in the wrong direction.
Megan said she walked away from the car and Lanez said, “Dance, bitch!” before shooting her in the feet. She testified that Lanez immediately tried to cover his tracks: “He says, ‘Please don’t say anything. I’ll give you all a million dollars. I can’t go to jail. I’ve been caught with a gun before.’”
The rapper testified that she initially told police she had stepped on glass. “This was the height of police brutality and George Floyd and when I said this man just shot me, I didn’t know if they would shoot first and ask questions later,” she said loudly Rolling Stone. “In the black community, in my community,” she continued, “it’s not really acceptable to work with cops.” Megan also testified that as a woman in her line of work, “people have a hard time believing you anyway.” .
The trial is expected to last until early next week. Lanez faces more than 22 years in prison if convicted on all charges.
This article originally appeared in Vanity Fair.
