Fox News Flash top entertainment headlines of August 7
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Tory Lanez was sentenced to 10 years in prison Tuesday for shooting a fellow rapper in the foot.
A jury found Lanez, whose full name is Daystar Peterson, guilty of three felony charges in December after the rapper shot and wounded Megan Thee Stallion in 2020. The charges included assault with a semiautomatic firearm, having a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle, and discharging a firearm with gross negligence.
Prosecutors initially requested the rapper receive 13 years behind bars.
TORY LANEZ EXPECTED TO BE SENTENCED TO 13 YEARS IN MEGAN THEE STALLION SHOOTING
Tory Lanez was found guilty and convicted of three felonies in the 2020 shooting of rapper Megan Thee Stallion. (Getty Images)
The Canada native's legal team requested that he should get only probation and be released from jail to enter a residential substance abuse program. They also plan to appeal his conviction.
Megan testified during the trial that Lanez had fired the gun at the back of her feet and shouted for her to dance as she walked away from an SUV in which they had been riding together in the summer 2020.
At the time of the shooting, Tory and Megan, whose full name is Megan Jovon Ruth Pete, had left a party at Kylie Jenner's Hollywood Hills home.
Judge David Herriford of Los Angeles County Superior Court, said during the sentencing hearing that it was "difficult to reconcile" the kind, charitable person and good father that many people have described Lanez with the person who fired the gun at Megan.
MEGAN THEE STALLION DETAILS HER SHOOTING IN TEARFUL VIDEO
"Sometimes good people do bad things," the judge said. "Actions have consequences, and there are no winners in this case."
Megan Thee Stallion testified during the trial. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon praised Megan for "her incredible bravery" in not only coming forward and reporting the crime but also reliving the traumatic incident throughout months of public investigation.
"Over the past three years, Mr. Peterson has engaged in a pattern of conduct that was intended to intimidate Ms. Pete and silence her truths from being heard," Gascon said.
"Women, especially Black women, are afraid to report crimes like assault because they are too often not believed. I commend Megan Pete for her incredible bravery and vulnerability as she underwent months of probing investigation and court appearances where she had to relive her trauma and the public scrutiny that followed."
Tory Lanez gained fame in 2009. (Johnny Nunez)
Gascon added, "This case highlighted the numerous ways that our society must do better for women. Thank you to Deputy District Attorneys Kathy Ta and Alex Bott, and Victim Services Representative Cecilia Zamora, who spent countless hours working to ensure justice was served for Ms. Pete. We also would like to thank the Los Angeles Police Department for their thorough investigation."
The court received letters of support for Lanez – including a letter from the rapper's 6-year-old son. The "Say It" rapper's father also spoke to the judge during Monday's hearing, choking back tears as he talked about Lanez losing his mother at age 11.
Megan detailed the daily turmoil she's endured in a written statement read Monday by Ta.
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"Since I was viciously shot by the defendant, I have not experienced a single day of peace," the statement said. "Slowly but surely, I'm healing and coming back, but I will never be the same."
Megan Thee Stallion said she hasn't had a "single day of peace" since being shot in 2020. (Emma McIntyre)
While Megan testified during the trial, she admitted to struggling with the decision over appearing in person to provide her statement but ultimately decided that she "simply could not bring myself to be in a room with Tory again."
Lanez has been in jail since his conviction in December.
Herriford found earlier Monday that Megan was an especially vulnerable victim when she was shot but that Lanez was not especially cruel or callous in firing at her. Both factors that may have affected sentencing.
The judge previously denied a motion from the rapper's legal team requesting a new trial on May 9. Lanez's legal argument hinged on an Instagram post that his lawyers said had been improperly admitted as evidence.
Tory Lanez was convicted of three felony charges for shooting Megan Thee Stallion in 2020. (Prince Williams)
Megan Thee Stallion was voted best new artist at the Grammys in 2021. (Getty Images)
They said Megan’s testimony that Lanez urged her not to go to police because he was on parole and would be in serious trouble was both untrue and an improper allowance of prior bad acts. In addition, DNA evidence that prosecutors used to argue Lanez was the likely shooter fell short of industry standards.
In a sentencing memo, Lanez's legal team argued that the evidence that convicted the rapper was "questionable at best" and, therefore, his lack of remorse should not be taken into account for the sentencing.
Lanez began releasing mixtapes in 2009 and saw a steady rise in popularity before releasing his own major-label albums.
The Houston-born musician was already a rising star at the time of the shooting and her prominence in the entertainment industry has since surged.
Megan won a Grammy for best new artist in 2021 and has had No. 1 singles with "Savage," featuring Beyoncé, and as a guest artist with Cardi B on "WAP."
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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