Shooting Case: Rihanna erupts as jury declares A$AP Rocky not guilty
Rihanna's beau, rapper A$AP Rocky, was declared not guilty on all counts on Tuesday by jurors in his felony criminal trial in downtown Los Angeles.
The three-time Grammy nominee, 36, was charged with a pair of felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm in the November 6, 2021 shooting in Hollywood, California of his one-time friend, A$AP Relli.
The Take A Bow songstress erupted in tears as the verdict was read, as her partner faced up to 24 years in prison if convicted in the case, and he ran over and hugged her.
Thanks y´all for saving my life,’ A$AP Rocky told the jury, composed of seven women and five men, as he left the courtroom, according to the AP.
Rihanna took to Instagram Stories Tuesday evening with an uplifting message after the verdict Tuesday.
‘THE GLORY BELONGS TO GOD AND GOD ALONE!’ the We Found Love artist said. ‘THANKFUL, HUMBLED BY HIS MERCY!’
The musical artist, whose full name is Rakim Mayers, was emotional as he embraced his lawyers after the verdict was read.
The jury reached a unanimous decision after deliberating for about three hours following the conclusion of closing arguments in the case last week.
The Harlem, New York-born entertainer, before going into the trial, had declined an offer from prosecutors of a six-month jail sentence and probation.
Under that offer, A$AP Rocky would have had to plead guilty to one count in the case, the AP reported.
A$AP Rocky celebrated the verdict with his partner and legal team in the courtroom and after they left the building.
Prosecutors in the case said A$AP Rocky, whose hits include Wild for the Night, Everyday and Praise the Lord (Da Shine), shot twice at his former pal A$AP Relli.
A$AP Relli – who had been associated with A$AP Rocky dating back to high school as part of the musical ensemble A$AP Mob – testified in the case that he was unharmed in the shooting, aside from a bullet grazing his knuckle. He was slammed by Tacopina in closing arguments as ‘an angry pathological liar’ who ‘committed perjury again and again and again and again’ during the trial.
A$AP Rocky’s legal team said that the shots the rapper fired were actually blanks from a prop gun he obtained from the set of a music video he was working on, the AP reported.
