LOS ANGELES – American rapper A$AP Rocky, the romantic partner of recording star Rihanna and father of her two sons, was ordered on Nov 20 to stand trial in Los Angeles on two felony counts of assault with a semi-automatic weapon.
Rocky, 35, whose given name is Rakim Mayers, is accused of pointing a handgun at hip-hop artiste and former friend Terell Ephron during a heated argument, then firing twice in Ephron’s direction during a second confrontation. Both encounters occurred on Nov 6, 2021.
Prosecutors alleged that Ephron suffered a minor injury in the shooting.
Rocky was arrested in connection with the altercation five months later, in April 2022, as he arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on a flight from Barbados. He was charged in August 2022.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge M.L. Villar ruled on Nov 20 that prosecutors had sufficient evidence to proceed to trial on both counts of assault, including allegations that Rocky had used a firearm during the incidents in question, according to a spokesperson for the District Attorney’s Office.
The Harlem-born musician, who remains free on bond, has pleaded not guilty.
His lawyer Joe Tacopina argued in court that prosecutors failed to present sufficient proof that a shooting had even occurred, relying on various surveillance videos and testimony that the defence said were inconclusive, the Los Angeles City News Service (CNS) reported in its account of the proceedings.
The defence also questioned the veracity of Ephron’s testimony that he believed his left hand had been grazed in the gunfire, CNS reported.
Ephron has performed under the stage name A$AP Relli as part of hip-hop collective A$AP Mob, which once included both men. He has also filed a civil lawsuit against Rocky, according to CNS.
Since Rocky’s arrest in 2022, Rihanna, a native of Barbados, has given birth to their two sons.
His first and second studio albums – Long. Live. A$AP, and At. Long. Last. A$AP – debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 pop charts in 2013 and 2015 respectively. His third album, Testing, was released in 2018 and peaked in the top five. REUTERS
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