Rapper Tory Lanez has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the foot. This follows an incident where Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, was hospitalized after an attack in a California prison.
Lanez was reportedly assaulted in a residential unit at the California Correctional Facility in Tehachapi around 7:20 AM. Pedro Calderon Michel, a spokesperson for the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, did not elaborate on the specifics of the attack. However, Lanez’s Instagram account shared a message indicating he was stabbed 14 times, which resulted in both lungs collapsing. Despite the severity of his injuries, the post mentioned that he was self-breathing.
Even with pain from his injuries, he was described as speaking normally, even expressing gratitude to God for his survival. Prison staff rushed to provide medical aid and called 911, leading to him being transported to an external hospital, according to Michel. An inquiry by the prison’s investigation unit and the Kern County District Attorney’s Office is underway.
This prison, located about 100 miles north of Los Angeles in the Mojave Desert, houses approximately 1,700 medium- to high-security inmates.
In December 2022, Lanez was found guilty of three felony counts, including assault with a semi-automatic firearm. He had also been charged with possessing an unregistered firearm, which was reportedly not loaded when it was fired recklessly.
Megan Thee Stallion, born Megan Pete, testified that after leaving a party at Kylie Jenner’s Hollywood Hills home in July 2020, Lanez shot at her foot while instructing her to dance away from an SUV she was in. She sustained injuries that required surgical removal of bullet fragments from both legs. Since the shooting, she has identified Lanez as the shooter.
A request for a new trial was denied by the judge, who dismissed claims made by Lanez’s attorneys. They have not provided any immediate comments following this decision. Recently, Megan accused Lanez of harassing her through intermediaries while in prison, prompting the judge to issue a protective order that extends until 2030.
At 32, Lanez has been active in the music scene since 2009, gradually gaining popularity with several major label albums, two of which landed in the Billboard top ten.
The incident raises broader issues, such as the reluctance of Black victims to contact police, hip-hop culture dynamics, and the unique challenges faced by Black women, sometimes referred to as Misogynoir.
The trial witnessed passionate support from Lanez’s family and friends, who believe he has been unfairly targeted by the judicial system and by influential figures connected to Megan, including those from Jay-Z’s Roc Nation. When the verdict was revealed, Lanez’s father confronted the courtroom angrily, criticizing the prosecutors and the system, although he later apologized to the judge for the outburst.
Megan Thee Stallion was already climbing the ranks of fame at the time of the incident, and she has only continued to rise since then. In 2021, she won a Grammy for Best New Artist and featured in two major hits: “Savage” with Beyoncé and “WAP” with Cardi B.
