By Taylor Romine and Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN
(CNN) — Tory Lanez, the man convicted of shooting rapper Megan Thee Stallion in 2020, was sentenced on Tuesday to 10 years in prison, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office told CNN.
In December of last year, a Los Angeles jury found Lanez guilty of three charges related to the July 2020 shooting of fellow rapper Stallion in the Hollywood Hills, the Los Angeles County District Attorney told CNN at the time.
Lanez had pleaded not guilty to assault with a semiautomatic firearm, carrying a loaded unregistered firearm in a vehicle, and discharge of a firearm with gross negligence, according to prosecutors.
The jury convicted him on all three counts.
Stallion accused Lanez of shooting her in the foot after she exited a vehicle they had been riding in following an argument.
At a press conference following the sentencing on Tuesday, LA County District Attorney George Gascón explained how Lanez attempted to “silence” Stallion after she accused him of shooting her in 2020.
“Over the past three years, [Lanez] has engaged in a pattern of conduct that was intended to intimidate [Stallion], silence her and keep her from defending and bringing her truth out,” Gascón said.
“Despite the physical violence, verbal attacks and attempts at public humiliation, [Stallion] remained strong and shared the events of that fateful night with the jury and the world,” the district attorney continued.
Stallion’s position as a popular entertainer has “brought a spotlight on the important issue of violence against women,” Gascón added.
“There are many people in our community that endure acts of violence every day from people close to them and feel reluctant to come forward when this happens. I hope that [Stallion’s] bravery gives hope to those that feel helpless,” he said.
Gascón also read aloud a portion of a statement made by Stallion in court Monday.
“Every day I think of others across the world who are victims of violence and survive. It is truly the most powerless feeling, especially when you question whether the justice system can truly protect you. Fortunately, the district attorney’s office fought for me. I’m incredibly grateful to them and the jury for the attention to the evidence and siding with the truth. But if it can happen to me, imagine those who lack the resources and support systems to help them,” Stallion said, according to the district attorney.
Lanez’s attorney Jose Baez also spoke at the news conference, calling his client’s sentence “incredibly harsh.”
“To get a ten-year sentence is extreme and just another example of someone being punished for their celebrity status and someone being utilized to send an example. And he’s not an example, he’s a human being,” Baez said.
Lanez is “incredibly sad and down” as any other person would be with the news of the sentence, Baez said.
The law allows for Lanez to be out on bail pending appeal, so they plan to file a motion for bail in the case as they intend to appeal, he said.
In April, the “Savage” singer addressed the case in an essay for Elle.
“As I reflect on the past three years, I view myself as a survivor, because I have truly survived the unimaginable,” she wrote at the time.
She described how she not only survived being shot by a friend she thought she could trust, but how she also overcame the “public humiliation of having my name and reputation dragged through the mud by that individual for the entire world to see,” referencing the social media-driven smear campaign that began soon after the shooting, which painted Stallion out to be a liar.
“It never crossed my mind that people wouldn’t believe me,” she wrote, adding that she nonetheless “knew the truth and the indisputable facts would prevail.”
The-CNN-Wire
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