For the last three years, if you’ve been anywhere on social media you seemingly were unable to escape the ongoing court case involving singer and rapper Tory Lanez. Lanez, birth name Daystar Peterson, is currently awaiting final sentencing after having been found guilty of assault with a firearm, possession of a concealed weapon, and the negligent discharge of a firearm. This combination of charges that could earn him a maximum of 22 years in prison.
There Has Been A Delay In His Sentencing
While initial reports suggested that Tory Lanez would be in court to face sentencing on February 28th, there was a delay in sentencing that will extend the sentencing as far as April 10th, according to recent reports. As of now Lanez, who was previously living in a penthouse in Miami, is now a temporary resident of the LA County Sheriff Department’s central jail until sentencing, after which his next placement will be determined.
In case you HAVE been in a social media time bubble and haven’t heard anything about this case (can you tell me how to do that, ya girl needs a break) the backstory is a sordid and convoluted one. One where friends got into a car after a party at Kendall Jenner’s on July 12th, 2020. And soon after, one person had bullet wounds and the others seemed to have different stories of what occurred. While the information on the who, what, when and where continued to change, one thing remained constant. A good portion of the world, especially the hip-hop community was attached to the outcome.
Lanez’s name alone would be enough for this case to become social media fodder. But considering the victim of the shooting was Megan Pete, aka Megan Thee Stallion, the Twittersphere was set ablaze almost immediately after the shooting hit the public. For a few days after the shooting, it seemed to be silent on the end of the artists, with neither Lanez or Megan making any public pronouncements about the event. The only details at the time were that Lanez had been arrested on concealed weapon charges. And, that Megan had suffered some form of injury from “stepping on glass.”
Tory Lanez And Megan Thee Stallion
That was until July 15th, 2020. In a post that has since been deleted, Megan the Stallion went on Instagram in a live video. She indicated that she had been shot in the night in question. Though who had put the bullets into her foot continued to be a mystery. Details of what led up to the shooting continued to be vague, and speculation and conspiracy theories abounded. The social media storm swirled into a tsunami a little more than a month later, when Megan broke her silence. She pointed her finger at her alleged shooter: Tory Lanez.
In the video about the incident, Megan stated that she initially withheld information from the police about the shooting. She feared for the life of herself and the people in the car – including Tory Lanez. With the murder of George Floyd having been replayed in 4K for the two months prior to the shooting, Megan said that it was with that motivation that she kept the information from police.
“The police was literally killing people, for no motherf—ing reason, you think I’m about to tell the police that we, us Black people, got a gun in the car?”
Tory Lanez Has Referenced The Situation In His Music
While social media, fans, and the general public seem to continue to be torn, taking sides, and hurling accusations as to whether Megan was lying for clout, or whether Lanez is a violent, over-the-top musician with a Napoleon complex – one thing remains clear.
As of December 23, 2022, Lanez was found guilty of all charges brought against him. He will continue to be held in LA County Jail without bail until sentencing. Recent reports allege that Lanez’s legal team may request an entirely new trial. In his most recent sentencing appearance in late February, the gag order originally placed on Lanez was lifted. This means that for the first time in years, Lanez will be able to publicly speak on the case.
Not to say that Tory Lanez wasn’t speaking on the case before the gag order. In his most recent album Daystar, there are plenty of references to the alleged shooting. Including lyrics alluding that Megan was lying on the incident for clout. What clout he refers to, considering Megan Thee Stallion’s streams, fans, and social media following far surpasses Lanez’s, is unclear.
With the gag order lifted, we may see more from Lanez on his side of the story. And if a new trial is granted, this situation could drag out even farther. Until then, Lanez will remain in the custody of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.