More than two years after she was allegedly shot in the foot by fellow rapper Tory Lanez, Megan Thee Stallion took the witness stand Tuesday and shared previously unknown details about the ordeal.
Megan, whose real name is Megan Pete, was emotional as she testified in a Los Angeles courtroom, according to reporters who were in the room.
“Because I was shot, I’ve been turned into some kind of villain, and he’s the victim,” she said, fighting back tears. “This has messed up my whole life.”
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“I’m having a really difficult time sitting up here comfortably telling my story. I’ve got to sit across from Tory ... I’m really trying to come off as a strong woman. I don’t want to give them the power they’ve been taking from me going on three years.”
She told jurors that a nasty argument with Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, broke out in an SUV, shortly after the duo had left a party hosted by Kylie Jenner in the Hollywood Hills. Megan testified that Lanez told her she “ain’t shit,” which prompted her to insult his stature within the hip-hop industry, the Los Angeles Times reported. This allegedly set Lanez off.
What happened next has been widely debated since the July 12, 2020, incident—with Megan saying Lanez fired a single shot into her foot, while Lanez maintains he never opened fire.
He also refused to meet Megan’s eye as she entered court—but appeared to be furiously taking notes as she spoke, the Times reported.
Tory Lanez
Greg Doherty/GettyIn her testimony Tuesday, Megan said Lanez “had an attitude because he wasn’t ready to leave the party.”
In the SUV, an argument erupted. When Megan finally exited the vehicle, “I start walking away from the car, and I can hear Tory say, ‘Dance, bitch!’” before shooting her in both feet during the altercation in July 2020.
Megan said that everyone in the SUV—her former assistant Kelsey Harris, the SUV’s driver, and herself—“looked shocked” when Lanez opened fire.
“I looked down at my feet, and I see all the blood,” she said. “Now everybody’s screaming. He looked shocked. Kelsey looked shocked.”
Despite claiming he didn’t fire a shot, Lanez was charged with three felonies that have had him on house arrest since October. He faces criminal charges of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, carrying a loaded and unregistered firearm, and felony negligent discharge of a firearm.
Megan did not immediately report the shooting to cops in California—a point raised by Lanez and his supporters, who claim it’s proof the allegations were bogus.
Megan addressed this in her testimony on Tuesday, however, reportedly saying she didn’t call the police that night because she feared they’d make the situation worse.
“At this time we are at the height of police brutality,” Megan said, according to the Times. “I felt if I said this man had shot me, they might shoot first and ask questions later. I don’t feel safe in the car. I don’t feel safe with the police.”
She admitted that she had lied to the media and investigators for years when she denied having an “intimate” relationship with Lanez. She explained the relationship, which was non-exclusive, left her feeling “disgusting” and “embarrassed,” according to Rolling Stone.
“This whole story was about who I’m having sex with, and I don’t understand why that matters,” she told jurors after a break for lunch. “It’s disgusting at this point. How can I share my body with somebody who could shoot me?”
“I wish he would have just shot and killed me (rather than) have to go through this torture,” Megan continued.
In the months after the incident, Megan claimed that Lanez attempted to buy her silence, according to GQ, but she declined.
Lanez’s lawyer, George Mgdesyan, claimed in opening statements on Monday that the argument stemmed from “jealousy.” He suggested that it was Harris who fired the gun, and that gunshot residue was found on Lanez only because “he was trying to stop her from shooting.”
Lanez has claimed publicly and in songs that he was “framed” for the incident. If convicted, he could spend up to 12 years in prison.
Lanez was seen leaving the courthouse shortly after Megan’s testimony carrying his son, Kai’Lon on his shoulders. The six-year-old was present in the courtroom, seated behind his father and dressed in a suit, for some of the “harrowing” testimony.
“This is my support system and I’m his too,” Lanez told reporters.
