Rihanna has appeared at the trial of her partner A$AP Rocky for the first time.
It comes as the rapper, who has two toddler sons with the pop star, has appeared in court on trial for two felony charges stating that he fired a handgun at a former friend. If he is convicted, he could face up to 24 years in prison.
According to new reports from AP News and BBC, the ‘Umbrella’ hitmaker attended the courtroom proceedings in the downtown LA criminal courthouse for the first time and sat out of view of the courtroom cameras.
Taking place yesterday (January 29), she reportedly watched as the accuser – a man born Terell Ephron, who goes by the name A$AP Relli – gave testimony relating to the 2021 shooting incident in Hollywood.
The trial began on January 24, and A$AP Rocky, real name Rakim Mayers, has been accused of pulling out a gun on his former friend and opening fire after a heated discussion. The rapper and his accuser have known each other since high school, and the incident took place on November 6 2021.
Prosecutors alleged that Mayers pulled out a gun from his waistband on the night when things escalated, pointed it at Ephron and threatened to kill him (via BBC). Court documents also state that the accuser told the rapper to fire the weapon, but Mayers instead walked away.
Epheron is reported as then following behind and yelling at the rapper over their disagreements, leading to Mayers pulling out the gun again and opening fire, the prosecutors allege. Multiple bullets are claimed to have been fired, one of which allegedly grazed Ephron’s knuckles.
Local surveillance captured audio of the gunfire, but there is no video showing the alleged shooting.
As per AP News, Mayer’s lawyer says the shots he fired were not even from a real gun, but were instead blanks from a starter pistol that he carried as a prop. The lawyer also claimed that Relli knew this, and that was why he continued to walk after him once he flashed the weapon.
Ephron denied these claims in court, the outlet reports, alleging that it was a real gun and he continued to walk after the rapper “because he put it away and we’re on a busy street in Hollywood. He’s definitely not gonna shoot it.”
A$AP Rocky has pleaded not guilty to the charges and his lawyers have also argued that his former friend is only after money by bringing the claims forward. The trial is expected to go on for three weeks and a panel of 12 jurors will decide the rapper’s fate.
BBC reports that, during jury selection, prosecutors asked jurors if the pop star’s connection to the case would impact their ability to reach a fair verdict. While some are reportedly fans of the singer, they all said her presence would not affect the decision they make.
This is a developing story.
