A$AP Rocky has been found not guilty of firing a gun at a former friend. The rapper, 36, faced two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm in connection to a 2021 shooting incident.
Terell Ephron claimed the rapper shot at him during an argument on a Hollywood street on November 6, 2021, grazing his knuckles with one of the shots.
But Rocky, whose legal name is Rakim Mayers, argued that the weapon was a prop gun and that his former friend, Ephron, otherwise known as A$AP Relli, was only after money.
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On Tuesday, a jury in Los Angeles acquitted the Grammy-nominated hip-hop star, who could have faced up to 24 years behind bars if convicted.
As the first not-guilty verdict was read, Rocky rushed to embrace his partner, who was seated alongside Rocky’s mother, Renee Black, and sister, Erika B. Mayers.
“Thanks y’all for saving my life,” the rapper told the jury as he left the courtroom, according to the Associated Press.
Not too long after the verdict, Rihanna took to Instagram to react, writing: “THE GLORY BELONGS TO GOD AND GOD ALONE! THANKFUL, HUMBLED BY HIS MERCY!”
Rihanna was a constant presence in the courtroom throughout the trial. She even brought along their two sons, two-year-old RZA and one-year-old Riot, for Tuesday’s verdict.
Rocky was arrested in April 2022 upon returning to Los Angeles from Barbados with Rihanna. He faced two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic weapon but pleaded not guilty. Before opening statements in January, Rocky rejected a plea deal that included six months in jail, a seven-year suspended sentence, and three years of probation.
The rapper was expected to take the stand in his trial but chose not to testify in his defense. He maintained that he was carrying a prop gun for security on the night of the alleged incident.
Rocky’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, supported his client’s claim, stating that the gun involved was a starter pistol that only fired blanks. Earlier last week, Rocky’s tour manager, Lou Levin, testified that he advised the rapper to carry the prop gun following a break-in at his home by a stalker and other security concerns.
Levin testified that he obtained the prop gun from a video shoot in the summer of 2021, months before the incident. He returned it to the co-director, but after Rocky’s arrest, the gun was no longer available.
The defense stated they did not have the starter pistol, which authorities also failed to recover. Levin also confirmed that an ammunition magazine found at Rocky’s home belonged to him.
Prosecutors, however, called Levin’s story a lie, while Levin insisted it was the truth. The prosecution alleged that on November 6, 2021, Rocky pointed a gun at his former friend during a confrontation and shot at him, causing minor injuries.
Ephron testified against Rocky, claiming the rapper pointed a gun at his stomach, threatened to kill him, and fired at least four shots. Ephron said one shot hit his hand, and he reported the incident the following day. Ephron recovered two 9mm shell casings from the scene, but the weapon allegedly used by Rocky was never found.
Ephron, a former friend and collaborator of Mayers, said their relationship began in high school but soured as Mayers’ fame grew, especially when he started backing out of business deals.
At pre-trial hearings in November, Rocky’s attorneys sought to exclude surveillance footage of him holding a gun, arguing it should not be admissible. Prosecutors contended the video shows Rocky firing the weapon, a claim his lawyers denied.
Detective Frank Flores of the Los Angeles Police Department testified that the footage showed a gun in Rocky’s hand, but under cross-examination, he admitted the weapon was never recovered.
Rocky, a member of the A$AP Mob collective, which was formed in 2005, joined the group in 2007.
He is now set to release his first solo album in almost a decade and will co-chair the prestigious Met Gala in May alongside Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, and Pharrell Williams. He will also headline the Rolling Loud festival in March and star opposite Denzel Washington in Spike Lee’s upcoming film Highest 2 Lowest.
