After a three-week jury trial in Los Angeles, CA, A$AP Rocky has been acquitted of accusations of firing a gun at his former friend and A$AP Mob member, A$AP Relli.
Rocky was found not guilty on two charges of felony assault with a semiautomatic firearm stemming from a 2021 incident wherein Relli (born Terell Ephron) claimed Rocky (born Rakim Mayers) had shot him on the curb outside of the W Hotel. Ephron said his hand was grazed by a bullet after Mayers allegedly aimed the weapon — which the rapper's lawyers argued was only a prop gun with no bullets — at his stomach and head.
Police found no evidence at the scene, but Ephron alleged to have found two 9mm shell casings — however, his testimonial revealed that he had been at a gun range two weeks beforehand, which aided Mayers's attorneys in arguing that Ephron planted the shell casings.
Mayers was arrested in August 2022 in relation to the altercation, and subsequently charged. His trial was postponed from November 2024 to last month. Facing up to 24 years in prison, the rapper turned down a plea deal and pleaded not guilty.
Ephron has since launched a $30 million USD civil lawsuit against Mayers. Meanwhile, Mayers's partner Rihanna, who attended parts of the trial, celebrated the news on her Instagram Story, writing, "THE GLORY BELONGS TO GOD AND GOD ALONE! THANKFUL. HUMBLED BY HIS MERCY!"
"DON'T BE DUMB," Mayers himself added on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.