Megan Thee Stallion and Tory Lanez Shooting Trial: Everything That’s Happened

Complex - After months of updates leading up to its kickoff, not to mention multiple instances of misinformation making the rounds, the trial centered on Tory Lanez’s alleged shooting of Megan Thee Stallion began this week.

As revealed in an October 2020 news release from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Lanez—real name Daystar Peterson—is accused of “shooting several times” at Megan’s feet, wounding her. 

Ahead of the trial, as previously reported, Lanez was ordered to be placed on house arrest, albeit in connection with a separate incident involving August Alsina.

Below, we break down everything we know about what led to this case, what has been said publicly since, and in-court proceedings as they unfold.

What happened?

Tory is alleged to have shot Megan on July 12 of 2020 following a party at Kylie Jenner’s house. 

The incident, per the authorities, went down on July 12 in the Hollywood Hills area. Kelsey Nicole, who’s been reported to have at one point been connected to Megan in a friend and assistant capacity, was also with Tory and Megan during the night in question.

According to the aforementioned initial news release from the D.A.’s office, Lanez and Megan “got into an argument while riding in an SUV” after the group left the gathering. At some point, Megan—then identified only as “the victim” in prosecutor documents—exited the SUV, at which Lanez is alleged to have shot her.

A subsequent medical report later reviewed by Complex noted that Megan still had bullet fragments in her feet in connection with the shooting. As reported in April of this year, the records stated, among other things, that the “risks and benefits of operative treatment” had been discussed. Such risks were listed as including injury to arteries, infection, loss of function of the extremity, and more.

What has Megan said in the lead-up to the trial?

Initially, Megan did not name Tory in connection with the incident, telling Gayle King in a subsequent interview that the U.S.’s long history of police brutality and racist policies made her fearful in the immediate aftermath.

In that same interview, which marked the first time Megan spoke out in detail about the shooting, she said that Tory had offered her a payment of $1 million to not speak publicly about allegedly shooting her.

“He is standing up over the window, shooting. I didn’t even wanna move. I didn’t want to move too quick. … I was really scared because I had never been shot at before,” Megan said at the time. 

Earlier, in the late 2020 track “Shots Fired” off her Good News album, Megan appeared to reference the shooting. She also later discussed the case in a Rolling Stoneinterview this June, saying at the time that she wants Lanez “to go to jail.” She continued, “I want him to go under the jail.” 

What has Tory said in the lead-up to the trial?

Lanez, meanwhile, has continued to claim his innocence in connection with the case. 

In September, Lanez made a slew of claims about the incident as part of his Daystar project in 2020. Among the claims, which are broken down in greater detail here, are Lanez purporting that he’s being “framed.” Later that year, Lanez again claimed he was innocent, this time in an Instagram comment in which he referenced his Daystar lyrics.

At the top of 2021, Lanez—as seen in legal docs obtained by Complex—asked the court to modify a protection order that was then barring him from publicly speaking out about the case. Earlier that month, Megan addressed the spread of false information regarding the case, namely the spread of a quickly-proven-to-be-false claim that charges had been dropped.

What has Kelsey Nicole said in the lead-up to the trial?

Kelsey Nicole initially spoke out in the form of a diss track titled “Bussin Back,” itself a response to the aforementioned “Shots Fired” song from Meg.

More notable, however, is Kelsey’s response late last year to claims made by Lanez’s then-defense lawyer Shawn Holley. As outlined by Rolling Stone court reporter Nancy Dillon at the time, Holley made claims believed to be about Nicole during a preliminary hearing in December 2021, including that she and Megan had been at odds over Tory for romantic reasons.

“This is ALL cap,” Nicole responded.

In a subsequent report on Nicole’s response, it was further noted that a source had confirmed to Complex that an LAPD detective had testified during the hearing about a jail call Tory had with Megan’s ex-assistant. During that call, it was reported at the time, Lanez was alleged to have apologized for the shooting.

The trial: What is Tory charged with?

Just before the trial began, a new felony firearm charge was added against Lanez.

All told, Lanez has been charged with the following: discharging a firearm with gross negligence, assault with a semiautomatic firearm, and carrying an unregistered firearm in a vehicle. Prior to the addition of the third felony charge this month, the D.A.’s office said that Lanez was facing a potential maximum sentence of more than 22 years behind bars if convicted as charged.

The trial: Day 1

As the trial began, it was revealed during opening statements that Kelsey Nicole (also referred to in legal proceedings as Kelsey Harris) would be testifying later on in the case that she, per Dillon, “saw her close friend get shot by the defendant.” 

Meanwhile, Lanez’s team made a number of claims on day one, including reiterating prior remarks about Nicole. As for a claim involving Ben Simmons of the Brooklyn Nets, namely one of the salacious (and subsequently criticized and questioned) variety, Simmons shared a quick rip of Rick Ross’ viral “false accusations!” clip to shut down such talk.

The trial: Day 2

On the second day of the trial, Megan herself took the stand at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles. While on the stand, Megan reiterated a number of her previous remarks about the shooting, including Lanez having allegedly offered her hush money. She also criticized how some artists have responded to the case, telling the court she “can’t believe I have to come up here and do this” and calling out the male-focused aspect of the music industry.

“This show situation in the industry is like a big boys club,” Megan said, per NPR. Elsewhere, Megan reflected on how some have attempted to make her “the villain” in the case while propping up Lanez as “the victim.”

“I wish he would’ve just killed me if I knew I’d have to go through this,” Megan also said.

The trial: Day 3

Kelsey Harris, Megan’s ex-friend and former assistant, was granted immunity Wednesday in exchange for her testimony in Lanez’s felony assault trial.

“I don’t care to be here today,” Harris told Deputy District Attorney Kathy Ta shortly after taking the witness stand. “I just don’t want to be here.”

Harris told the court her mental health was suffering due to a recent death and the birth of a child. She said the trial was a “triggering situation” and accused Megan of weaving a false narrative that tarnished her reputation.

“ painted the picture that I betrayed her, she’s painted the picture that I’m this bad person, bad friend, that I took hush money,” she said in court, as reported by Rolling Stone. “There are many lies.”

The witness was then asked about the defense’s suggestion that it was she, not Lanez, who shot Megan. She told Ta that the claims were “ridiculous.” 

Harris then detailed the events that led up to Megan’s alleged shooting. She described her estranged friend as being “drunk” and “a little off” on the night of Kylie Jenner’s party.

“The argument that took place inside carried on,” she said without getting specific. “There was so much going back and forth, name calling (between) me and Megan, Tory and Megan, Tory and Me, Megan and Tory.”

Ta then brought up Harris’ September interview with prosecutors, when she claimed Lanez had threatened to shoot her. Harris was asked if she remembered making such a statement, but she remained tight-lipped.

“Do I have to answer that?” Harris asked Judge David Herriford, who replied in the affirmative.

“Um, yes, ma’am,” Harris said.

“And this was in the car, correct?” Ta asked.

“Yes,” she replied.

“What did he do, and what did he say?” Ta asked, prompting Harris to plead the fifth. “Why don’t you want to answer that question?” 

“I don’t want to be here,” Harris responded.

The trial: Day 4

Harris returned to the stand on Thursday, but struggled to provide conclusive answers.

According to Rolling Stone, Megan’s former friend/assistant recanted prior statements about Lanez’s alleged attack on the Houston rapper. In a September statement to prosecutors, Harris reportedly corroborated Megan’s account of the alleged shooting. She told authorities that Lanez had threatened to shoot her before he opened fire on Megan; however, on day four of the trial, Harris told the court some of her initial statements were “not accurate.”

“The night was a blur,” she told Ta, when pressed about the nature of Lanez’s alleged threat. “We were under the influence.”

Harris went on to say she never saw Lanez shoot Megan, but admitted to sending Megan’s bodyguard a series of text messages that read: “Help / Tory shot meg / 911.” She told Ta that the messages, which were reportedly sent five minutes after the shooting, were based on “assumptions.”

“What’s going on with you today?” Ta asked Harris. “What happened between September and today? … In September when you spoke with us, you gave us a lot of detailed statements about what happened, right? … What happened between September and today that you forgot everything?”

“I told you what I’m going through,” Harris replied.

According to TMZ, Lanez’s attorney asked Harris if the Canadian rapper had paid for her silence, as many have suspected.

“No. I want to make it very clear…Tory didn’t pay me anything,” she responded.

The trial: Day 5

During the fifth day of the trial, the judge allowed the jury to hear the entire 80-minute audio of Kelsey Harris’ interview with prosecutors.

In it, Harris detailed the shooting in detail, claiming the SUV stopped because Lanez wanted them out of the vehicle. Almost immediately Harris hears gunshots, and by the third and forth shot she saw Lanez sitting in the front seat leaning over the front passenger door. He aimed the gun in Megan’s direction.