Tory Lanez Has Issued A ‘Not Guilty’ Plea To Shooting Megan Thee Stallion

Updated November 10, 2020.

Ever since making headlines at the start of 2020 for her hitmaker “Savage” rapper, Megan Thee Stallion has used her voice to call out injustice and celebrate women of color. In July her voice in these realms became even more loud and vital when she became a victim of an act of violence by a man. Now, the 25-year-old rapper is working vigorously to educate others about the importance of protecting Black women through her music, charity, and writing. This is, of course, all while slowly coming out with the details related to the incident in July shooting in which rapper Tory Lanez allegedly shot her in the foot after they had a disagreement.

In a recent interview with GQ, Megan claimed that Lanez begged her not to say anything about the incident that ended with her foot being shot.

the shooting incident, which took place in July, occured after Megan, Lanez, and two others who have yet to be identified left a party at Kylie Jenner’s home. Police were soon called after reports of gunfire occured outside of a separate home and pulled over the car that Megan, Lanez and the others were driving. All three involved were forced by police to get out of the car and lay spread-eagled on the ground. At the time, footage showed Megan limping out of the car and leaving bloody footprints on the ground. Lanez was arrested for being in posession of a concealed weapon.

Soon after the incident, Megan claimed that Lanez offered to pay her and an unidentified friend, who had been present for the incident, to stay quiet.

“[At this point] I’m really scared,” Megan explained, “because this is like right in the middle of all the protesting. Police are just killing everybody for no reason, and I’m thinking, ‘I can’t believe you even think I want to take some money. Like, you just shot me.’ ”

Lanez has repeatedly denied Megan’s account of the incident while also never directly stating that he did not shoot her. A lawyer for Lanez also denied Megan’s allegations to GQ that he ever offered to pay Megan and her friend money.

Now, according to officials, Lanez is pleading not guilty to shooting Megan.

After a Wednesday arraignment in Los Angeles, the 28-year-old rapper entered the “not guilty” plea. He has been charged with one felony count including assault with a semiautomatic firearm, personal use of a firearm. He is also being accused of carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle in an incident that took place on July 12 in the Hollywood Hills.

In October, Megan penned a New York op-ed about the fight to protect Black women and educate the world about their struggle.

In the opinion piece titled “Megan Thee Stallion: Why I Speak Up for Black Women,” the rapper tackles everything from her own recent experiences with gun violence to the legacy of Black women officials, including Democratic vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

At the start of her piece, the rapper commented on how “Black women are expected once again to deliver victory for Democratic candidates. We have gone from being unable to vote legally to a highly courted voting bloc — all in little more than a century.” She notes that “despite this and despite the way so many have embraced messages about racial justice this year, Black women are still constantly disrespected and disregarded in so many areas of life.”

She went onto point out that her recent performance on “Saturday Night Live” and how her recent experience of being allegedly shot by singer Tory Lanez led her to initially remain quiet. “My initial silence about what happened was out of fear for myself and my friends. Even as a victim, I have been met with skepticism and judgment,” she explained. “The way people have publicly questioned and debated whether I played a role in my own violent assault proves that my fears about discussing what happened were, unfortunately, warranted.”

“I recently used the stage at ‘Saturday Night Live’ to harshly rebuke Kentucky’s attorney general, Daniel Cameron, for his appalling conduct in denying Breonna Taylor and her family justice,” she noted. “I anticipated some backlash: Anyone who follows the lead of Congressman John Lewis, the late civil rights giant, and makes ‘good trouble, necessary trouble,’ runs the risk of being attacked by those comfortable with the status quo. But you know what? I’m not afraid of criticism. We live in a country where we have the freedom to criticize elected officials. And it’s ridiculous that some people think the simple phrase ‘Protect Black women’ is controversial. We deserve to be protected as human beings. And we are entitled to our anger about a laundry list of mistreatment and neglect that we suffer.”

Megan went onto share her own experiences as seeing herself through the eyes of others as a Black woman.

“Beyond threats to our health and lives, we confront so much judgment and so many conflicting messages on a daily basis. If we dress in fitted clothing, our curves become a topic of conversation not only on social media, but also in the workplace. The fact that Serena Williams, the greatest athlete in any sport ever, had to defend herself for wearing a bodysuit at the 2018 French Open is proof positive of how misguided the obsession with Black women’s bodies is,” she went onto write. “I would know. I’ve received quite a bit of attention for appearance as well as my talent. I choose my own clothing. Let me repeat: I choose what I wear, not because I am trying to appeal to men, but because I am showing pride in my appearance, and a positive body image is central to who I am as a woman and a performer. I value compliments from women far more than from men. But the remarks about how I choose to present myself have often been judgmental and cruel, with many assuming that I’m dressing and performing for the male gaze. When women choose to capitalize on our sexuality, to reclaim our own power, like I have, we are vilified and disrespected.”

The rapper’s op-ed came on the heels of an announcement that she will be giving out two scholarships to women of color pursuing higher education.

Megan announced earlier last week that she wants to celebrate other women of color who “Don’t Stop” pursuing their higher education by giving out scholarships.

As part of a partnership with Rap Rotation, Amazon Music’s flagship global hip-hop brand, the rapper launched her Don’t Stop Scholarship Fund on Oct. 8. The scholarship fund is named after her newest single which features Young Thug and will go out to two female students pursuing an associate, bachelor or postgraduate degree in any field.