A$AP found not guilty in gun assault trial, hugs Rihanna
What's the story
Rapper A$AP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, was found not guilty in his felony assault trial on Wednesday (IST).
The verdict was delivered after a three-week-long trial and three hours of jury deliberation. Upon hearing the verdict, Rocky reportedly leaped into the arms of his partner, pop star Rihanna.
The Los Angeles courtroom erupted into cheers as the couple embraced.
Trial
The incident and trial details
Charges against Rocky stemmed from an incident involving A$AP Relli—a fellow A$AP Mob (hip hop group) member.
During a confrontation in 2021, Rocky fired twice at Relli with one shot grazing his knuckle.
However, Rocky's defense argued he had used a prop gun for security reasons and fired it as a warning when Relli attacked another crew member.
The jury was instructed to consider if Rocky reasonably believed he or his friends were in imminent danger and used reasonable force.
Charges
Rocky faced 2 felony counts of assault
Rocky was up against two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. The charges could have landed him in prison for over 20 years.
However, the jury found him not guilty on both counts.
The prosecution offered to reduce Rocky's sentence to six months in jail if he pleaded guilty to one count, but he maintained his innocence and took his chances with a jury trial.
Reaction
'Thank y'all for saving my life': Rocky to jurors
After the verdict, an emotional Rocky thanked the jurors, saying, "Thank y'all for saving my life."
Rihanna, who had attended the trial sporadically and brought their two sons (RZA and Riot) for some of the closing arguments, was also relieved.
She took to social media to celebrate Rocky's acquittal with a post that read: "THE GLORY BELONGS TO GOD AND GOD ALONE! THANKFUL, HUMBLED BY HIS MERCY!, (sic)."
Career
Rocky's career continues to soar post-verdict
The verdict comes at a crucial juncture in Rocky's career.
The three-time Grammy nominee is scheduled to headline the Rolling Loud music festival in March and co-chair fashion's biggest night, the Met Gala, in May.
He will also star alongside Denzel Washington in Spike Lee's film Highest 2 Lowest, which will be released this summer.
With prison no longer looming over him, Rocky can now focus on his flourishing career.