Tory Lanez Speaks Out After 10-Year Prison Sentence

Yara Sameh

Canadian rapper Tory Lanez is speaking out about his recent sentencing in his felony assault trial for shooting fellow Grammy-winning rapper Megan Thee Stallion in the foot.

Lanez, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, was found guilty in December 2022 of three felony counts over the incident, in which he shot at the feet of Megan, real name Megan Pete, during an argument after a pool party in the Hollywood Hills.

The shooting occurred in July 2020, as the artists, a friend, and Lanez’s bodyguard left a party at Kylie Jenner’s Hollywood home. While started walking away, she heard Lanez shout, "Dance, b****!" as Lanez started shooting a 9mm pistol at her feet, according to prosecutors in court. She was injured, dropped to the ground, and crawled to safety.

He took to Instagram late Thursday to maintain his innocence to his “Umbrellas” fan group and declare that he won’t “stop fighting till I come out victorious.”

“I have never let a hard time intimidate me,” he wrote. “I will never never let no jail time eliminate me. Regardless of how they try to spin my words, I have always maintained my innocence and I always will.”

He writes that during his sentencing hearing, he took responsibility for “verbal and intimate moments that I shared with the parties involved,” but not for the shooting itself. “In no way shape or form was I apologizing for the charges I’m being wrongfully convicted of. I remain on the stance that I refuse to apologize for something that I did not do.”

The sentence — which comes more than three years after the July 2020 shooting — was more than the probation sought by his lawyers but less than the 13 years prosecutors had suggested.

Read Lanez’s statement in full below:

To The Umbrellas,

I have never let a hard time intimidate me. I will never never let no jail time eliminate me. Regardless of how they try to spin my words, I have always maintained my innocence and I always will.

This week in court I took responsibility for all verbal and intimate moments that I shared with the parties involved. … That’s it.

In no way shape or form was I apologizing for the charges I’m being wrongfully convicted of. I remain on the stance that I refuse to apologize for something that I did not do.

I’ve faced adversity my whole life and every time it looked like I would lose, I came out on top. This is nothing but another moment where my back is against the wall and I refuse to stop fighting till I come out victorious.

Tough times don’t last, tough people do.

To my family, friends and umbrellas thank you for your continued support.

See you soon.