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The timeline of events leading up to the Tory Lanez assault trial
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Updated December 8, 2022 at 3:55 PM ET
Jury selection is finally underway for rapper Tory Lanez's assault trial, two years after he allegedly shot rapper Megan Thee Stallion in the foot.
Lanez is facing charges of felony assault with a semiautomatic firearm and carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle.
He has pleaded not guilty.
If Lanez is convicted, the Canadian rapper could face more than 22 years in prison.
From conflicting testimonies to rescheduled hearings to the involvement of fan bases and even fellow musicians, the hip-hop scene has been divided over the case.
With opening arguments slated to begin once 12 jurors are selected, here are key events that have led up to this moment — and what to expect next.
This story will be updated with more critical moments throughout the trial.
April 23, 2020
Footage of Lanez and Stallion hanging out together — during the height of the pandemic when health officials asked people to social distance — is shared across social media.
July 12, 2020
Lanez is pulled over and arrested for carrying a concealed firearm in his vehicle. Stallion, who is present during the arrest, is taken to the hospital because of a foot injury.
In what TMZ reported was footage of the arrest, a person can be heard in the video saying, "Megan, are you OK?"
July 15, 2020
In a since-deleted Instagram post, Stallion says she suffered gunshot wounds the night of Lanez's arrest.
"On Sunday morning, I suffered gunshot wounds, as a result of a crime that was committed against me and done with the intention to physically harm me," Stallion wrote. "I was never arrested, the police officers drove me to the hospital where I underwent surgery to remove the bullets."
July 17, 2020
Stallion discusses the backlash she's received since revealing what happened.
"It might be funny to y'all on the internet and just another messy topic for you to talk about but this is my real life and I'm real life hurt and traumatized," Stallion wrote on Twitter.
Aug. 20, 2020
Stallion publicly identified Lanez as the person who shot her.
"You shot me, and you got your publicist and your people going to these blogs, lying and s***," Stallion said on Instagram Live. "Stop lying. Why lie? I don't understand. I tried to keep the situation off the internet, but you're dragging it."
Sept. 25, 2020
Lanez — whose legal name is Daystar Peterson — releases DAYSTAR, an album packed with lyrics that assert his innocence and cast doubt on whether Stallion was shot.
"How the f*** you get shot in your foot, don't hit no bones or tendons?" Lanez raps on "Money Over Fallouts."
Oct. 4, 2020
Stallion's performance on Saturday Night Live includes references to the shooting. Rapping in front of a backdrop with the words "Protect Black Women," Stallion comments on racism, sexism and gun violence.
Oct. 8, 2020
The Los Angeles County district attorney's office charges Lanez with felony assault with a semiautomatic firearm.
"On July 12, the defendant and the 24-year-old victim got into an argument while riding in an SUV in the Hollywood Hills," prosecutors said in a news release. "The victim exited the vehicle and Peterson is accused of shooting several times at her feet and wounding her." (Stallion was actually 25 at the time.)
Lanez is also charged with carrying a loaded and unregistered firearm in a vehicle as well as "a gun allegation and that he personally inflicted great bodily injury," according to the release.
Oct. 13, 2020
A judge issues a protective order against Lanez, forbidding him from getting within 100 yards of Stallion.
"You have been served orally and the court is ordering your attorney to provide you with that protective order," Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Miguel Espinoza told Lanez, according to the New York Daily News.
In an op-ed for The New York Times published the same day, Stallion discusses the alleged assault by Lanez.
"I was recently the victim of an act of violence by a man," she writes. "After a party, I was shot twice as I walked away from him. We were not in a relationship. Truthfully, I was shocked that I ended up in that place."
Nov. 20, 2020
Stallion releases Good News, an album containing a track that references the case.
"Imagine n***** lyin' 'bout shootin' a real b****," Stallion raps on "Shots Fired." "Just to save face for rapper n***** you chill with."
July 25, 2021
Lanez violates the protective order after attending — and performing — at that year's Rolling Loud festival. Lanez performed alongside rapper DaBaby just moments after Stallion left the same stage.
As a result, a judge increased his bail from $190,000 to $250,000 the following month.
Dec. 14, 2021
During testimony at a preliminary hearing, Los Angeles Police Department detective Ryan Stogner revealed more details of the alleged assault.
Lanez allegedly yelled "dance, b****!" as he fired at Stallion, who he described as being "half in, half out" of the car.
"Megan immediately felt pain to her feet, observed blood, fell to the ground, and then crawled to an adjacent driveway of a residence. ... She described her injuries as bleeding profusely," Stogner said, according to Rolling Stone.
Feb. 23, 2022
A social media post falsely claims that a pre-trial hearing revealed that Lanez's DNA was nowhere to be found on the gun. The misinformation gains traction.
March 11, 2022
Lanez releases "Cap," which contains lyrics aimed at Pardison Fontaine, Stallion's boyfriend. The diss track's release follows a back-and-forth the two had on Twitter weeks earlier.
April 16, 2022
Stallion performs a song at Coachella with references to Lanez. Ahead of her performance, Stallion teased the new song — later released under the name "Plan B" — online.
April 24, 2022
Stallion appears on CBS Mornings in her first televised interview directly addressing the shooting.
"He is standing up over the window shooting. And I didn't even want to move. I didn't want to move too quick," she said. "I don't know if he's going to shoot something that's, like, super important. I don't know if he could shoot me and kill me."
Aug. 12, 2022
Stallion drops the album Traumazine, which includes another song that references the shooting.
"I feel like Biggie, who shot you?" Stallion raps on "Who Me." "But everybody know who shot me, b****."
Sept. 18, 2022
Singer August Alsina claims that Lanez assaulted him. Alsina shared a photo of himself in an elevator, with blood on his face, detailing his exchange with Lanez.
"There was never a 'fight'!" Alsina writes in the lengthy post. "Simply an Assault. Dude has no real friends, and is on a crash out mission."
Sept. 23, 2022
Rapper DaBaby releases Baby on Baby 2, an album that features the song "Boogeyman," with lyrics referencing the incident.
"You play with me, that s*** was childish," DaBaby raps. "The day before she said that Tory Lanez shot her, I was f***** on Megan Thee Stallion."
Oct. 4, 2022
In an interview with the Off the Record podcast, Lanez acknowledges the trial and the decades of prison time he could face.
"Guys, I am actively facing 24 years next month," he said.
Oct. 26, 2022
Lanez is placed under house arrest until the trial begins. He's also ordered to wear an ankle monitor at all times. The decision is made citing another violation of Lanez's bail in which he allegedly attacked singer August Alsina.
Nov. 4, 2022
Rappers 21 Savage and Drake release a new album, Her Loss. It includes "Circo Loco," where Drake references the shooting and casts doubt on Stallion.
"This b**** lie 'bout getting shots, but she still a stallion," Drake raps. "She don't even get the joke but she still smiling."
Dec. 5, 2022
Jury selection for the trial begins in Los Angeles. Prosecutors also added a third felony charge, discharging a firearm with gross negligence, although it ultimately will not affect the length of imprisonment if Lanez is convicted.
Sidney Madden contributed reporting.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
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