Rapper Tory Lanez has been sentenced to 10 years in jail for shooting and injuring hip hop superstar Megan Thee Stallion.
Key points:
- The shooting occurred after a party at Kylie Jenner's home in 2020
- Megan Thee Stallion required surgery to remove bullet fragments
- Dozens of people wrote letters to the judge in support of Tory Lanez
Megan Thee Stallion, whose real name is Megan Jovon Ruth Pete, testified Tory Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Shemuel Shua Peterson, fired a gun at the back of her feet and shouted for her to dance as she walked away from a car in July 2020.
The shooting occurred as they were leaving a pool party at reality TV star and businesswoman Kylie Jenner's Hollywood Hills home.
Ms Pete had to have surgery to remove bullet fragments.
Peterson, 31, was convicted in December of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, having a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharging a firearm with gross negligence.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Herriford said on Wednesday it was "difficult to reconcile" the kind person and father many people described Peterson as during sentencing with the person who fired the gun at Ms Pete.
"Actions have consequences, and there are no winners in this case," Judge Herriford said.
Ms Pete said "slowly but surely, I'm healing and coming back, but I will never be the same" in her statement read on Tuesday.
"Since I was viciously shot by the defendant, I have not experienced a single day of peace."
Peterson had asked for either probation or a minimal prison sentence.
"If I could turn back the series of events that night and change them, I would," he said.
"The victim was my friend. The victim is someone I still care for to this day."
Dozens wrote letters to Judge Herriford in support of Peterson, including rapper Iggy Azalea, who asked the judge to hand down a sentence that was "transformative, not life-destroying".
Peterson's family and supporters also packed the courtroom during the trial.
Peterson has been jailed since his conviction
"[Ms Pete] has permanent scarring, physically," Deputy District Attorney Alexander Bott said in court.
"And she certainly will have emotional scarring for the rest of her life."
Attorneys for Peterson had argued that there was insufficient evidence to convict him.
The lawyers argued Ms Pete testimony that Peterson urged her not to go to police because he was on parole was both untrue and an improper allowance of prior bad acts.
They added the prosecution's DNA evidence also fell well short of industry standards.
Peterson's last two albums reached the top 10 on Billboard's charts.
Megan Thee Stallion is an award-winning artist who won the 2021 Grammys for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song.
AP