Kiarra Rocker ‘23, Copy Editor
Back in July of 2020, Grammy award-winning rapper, Megan Thee Stallion, legally known as Megan Pete, was shot after a party in Hollywood Hills, California by fellow musician Tory Lanez. More than two years following the incident, Lanez was finally found guilty on all three felony charges. Despite initially pleading not guilty, the singer was charged with assault with a semiautomatic firearm, carrying a loaded unregistered firearm in a vehicle, and discharge of a firearm with gross negligence.
Shortly after the shooting, Pete took to Instagram Live, publicly revealing for the first time that it was Lanez who shot her in the foot. The incident occurred following an argument in a car alongside Kelsey Harris—Pete’s former assistant and friend. It was reported that Pete left the car to decrease tensions between the three, when Lanez started shooting at her feet. Since Pete did not connect Lanez to the shooting at the time, he was charged with possession of a concealed weapon, but posted bail on the same day of the arrest.
Pete initially did not declare that it was Lanez who shot her, testifying that she misrepresented what she previously told officers due to the high uptick in police brutality in 2020. In a separate Instagram Live she said, “You want me to tell the law that we got a gun in the car so that they can shoot all of us up?”
LA County’s district attorney, George Gascón said in a statement that Pete “showed incredible courage and vulnerability despite repeated and grotesque attacks,” after having to countlessly recount her traumatic experience during the testimony. He continued by calling her an inspiration to all across the nation and said, “Women, especially Black women, are afraid to report crimes like assault and sexual violence because they are too often not believed.”
Before the trial, Pete faced, and will continue to experience, an endless amount of people calling her a liar on social media. There has been an increase of people questioning her experiences with both harassment and misogynoir—the intersectionality between sexism and racism pertaining to Black women. It was even enough to be a reference in famed rapper Drake’s newest album, in which he drops the line “This b**** lie ’bout getting shots, but she still a stallion,” an all too obvious reference to Pete.
Justice was served to Pete on Dec. 23, 2022 with Lanez facing up to 22 years in prison and possible deportation to his home country of Canada.
Lyon Life 