Rapper Tory Lanez found guilty over shooting of hip hop star Megan Thee Stallion
Rapper Tory Lanez has been found guilty of three firearms offences over the shooting of hip hop star Megan Thee Stallion.
Lanez, 30, was convicted of assault with a semi-automatic firearm; having a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle; and discharging a firearm with gross negligence.
The charges related to an incident in the Hollywood Hills in July 2020, which left Megan Thee Stallion injured with bullet fragments in her feet.
The pair had been in a car together after leaving a house party in the area, and got into an argument.
Canadian star Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, was found guilty by a jury of seven women and five men after one day of deliberation.
The convictions could see him jailed for up to 22 years.
Dressed in a powder pink winter coat, with matching trousers, a handcuffed Lanez showed no reaction as the verdict was delivered in a Los Angeles courtroom.
Megan Thee Stallion praised for bravery
Lanez’s lawyer alleged during the trial that the shots had actually been fired by a best friend of Megan Thee Stallion, Kelsey Harris, during a jealous fight over Lanez.
“She lied about everything in this case from the beginning,” attorney George Mgdesyan said of the hip hop megastar, who told the trial that Lanez had told her to “dance” before shooting at her feet.
Megan Thee Stallion, whose legal name is Megan Pete, said last week: “I’m in shock. I’m scared.
“I hear the gun going off, and I can’t believe he’s shooting at me.”
She said the pair’s argument had become especially heated when she began insulting his music.
Harris denied being the shooter and previously identified Lanez as the one holding the gun.
Prosecutors had dismissed Mr Mgdesyan’s contention that Megan Thee Stallion had “lied”, and praised her bravery for coming forward about the incident.
Deputy district attorney Alexander Bott said the 27-year-old had endured “a stream of hate” and was a “victim of domestic violence”.
After the jury left the courtroom, Lanez’s father, Sonstar Peterson, leapt up and began shouting, pointing at the prosecutors and declaring them “evil, wicked people”.
He was removed and continued to shout in the hallway.
Megan Thee Stallion. Pic: AP
Who is Tory Lanez?
Lanez began releasing mixtapes in 2009 and eventually moved on to major-label albums.
His last release, Sorry 4 What, debuted at number 10 in the US Billboard charts in September.
One of his previous albums, Daystar, generated significant controversy following its release in September 2020, as Lanez used the record to deny the allegations that he had shot Megan Thee Stallion.
Her success has far outstripped Lanez’s since the incident, including winning a Gramy for best new artist in 2021.
She has had number one singles in the Billboard charts and collaborated with the likes of Beyonce and Cardi B.
Former US president Joe Biden has prostate cancer, his office has said.
The statement said Mr Biden, who left the White House in January, is reviewing options for treatment with his physicians.
It read: “Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms.
“On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterised by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone.
“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management.
“The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”
File pic: Reuters
According to Cancer Research UK, a Gleason score of 9 means the cancerous cells “look very abnormal” and the disease is “likely to grow quickly”.
A source familiar with Mr Biden and his family’s thinking has told Sky’s US partner network, NBC News, that the former president is considering “multiple treatment options” – including hormone treatment for the cancer.
They added he is at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, and that as of now, it is unclear where the former president will be treated.
Mr Biden, 82, was the oldest person to ever serve as president, with concerns about his health raised regularly during his campaign for re-election last year.
After a poor debate against Donald Trump in June, he withdrew from the 2024 election and endorsed his vice president Kamala Harris.
In February 2023, he had a skin lesion removed from his chest that was a basal cell carcinoma, a common form of skin cancer.
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A Mexican navy ship has hit the Brooklyn Bridge during a promotional tour in New York City.
The New York Fire Department said authorities were responding to injuries but had no details about how many people might have been hurt or whether they were on the vessel or on the bridge.
Sky’s US partner network NBC News reports that at least three people were seriously injured in the incident.
The Mexican navy said in a post on X that the Cuauhtemoc, an academy training vessel, was damaged in the accident, which has prevented it from continuing its voyage.
Eyewitness video of the collision posted online showed the mast of the ship, which was flying a large Mexican flag, scraping the underneath of the bridge.
Pic: AP
The vessel then drifted toward the edge of the river as onlookers scrambled away from shore.
The Mexican navy said the status of personnel and material was under review by naval and local authorities, which were providing assistance.
The Cuauhtemoc is about 297ft long and 40ft wide, according to the Mexican navy. It sailed for the first time in 1982.
Pic: AP
Each year, it sets out at the end of classes at the naval military school to finish cadets’ training.
It left the Mexican port of Acapulco, on the Pacific coast, on 6 April with 277 people onboard, the navy said at the time.
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One person has died in a bomb explosion near a reproductive health clinic in California, authorities have said.
The incident took place in Palm Springs, a city two hours east of Los Angeles, and is being investigated as a possible car explosion.
The city’s mayor Ron DeHarte said one person died in the blast, adding that the bomb was “either in or near” a vehicle. The deceased’s identity is not known, Palm Springs police said.
Dr Maher Abdallah, who runs the American Reproductive Centers clinic, told the Associated Press his facility was damaged but all staff were safe and accounted for.
The explosion damaged the office space where the practice conducts patient consultations, but the IVF lab and stored embryos were unharmed, he added.
“I really have no clue what happened,” he said. “Thank God today happened to be a day that we have no patients.”
Debris covers the ground after the explosion. Pic: ABC7 Los Angeles/AP
In a statement posted on Facebook the clinic said it was “heartbroken” to learn someone died in the explosion and added: “Our deepest condolences go out to the individuals and families affected.”
It continued: “Our mission has always been to help build families, and in times like these, we are reminded of just how fragile and precious life is.
“In the face of this tragedy, we remain committed to creating hope – because we believe that healing begins with community, compassion, and care.
The clinic will be fully operational on Monday, it added.
“This moment has shaken us – but it has not stopped us. We will continue to serve with strength, love, and the hope that brings new life into the world,” the statement concluded.
Pic: ABC7 Los Angeles/AP
The Palm Springs city government said in a post on Facebook that the explosion happened on North Indian Canyon Drive, near East Tachevah Drive, before 11am local time (6pm GMT).
A burned-out car can be seen in a parking lot behind the building in aerial footage.
The blast caved in the clinic’s roof and blew debris across four lanes of the road.
Another person said he was inside a cannabis dispensary nearby when he felt a massive explosion.
Nima Tabrizi said: “The building just shook, and we go outside and there’s massive cloud smoke.”
Investigators from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are travelling to the scene to help assess what happened.
California governor Gavin Newsom has been briefed on the explosion, his press office said.
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