A$AP Rocky fired blank shots from a prop gun in order to protect his friend, his lawyer has said on the first day of his trial.

The US rapper is accused of firing a gun at Terell Ephron, a former childhood friend who testified their relationship had soured and a feud allegedly came to a head on the night of 6 November 2021.

Jurors were shown surveillance videos a prosecutor argued made it clear Rocky fired a gun at Ephron outside a parking garage in Hollywood.

But Rocky’s attorney, Joe Tacopina, said in the defence opening statement the video evidence is meaningless without the testimony of the accuser, Ephron, who he argued is driven by “jealousy, lies and greed”. He said: “This case rises or falls on his credibility.”

He said the gun was actually a “starter pistol” that only shot blanks which Rocky carried for protection, something he argued Ephron knew.

The first video shown by the prosecution showed a physical struggle between two men, with two others intervening, when one of them – wearing a black hoodie – pulls out a gun and points it, but does not fire.

“The evidence in this case will show that the man in the black sweatshirt is the defendant, Rakim Mayers,” said Deputy District Attorney Paul Przelomiec, using Rocky’s legal name. “That evidence will be uncontradicted.”

Rocky has pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm.

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‘He never believed he was going to be shot’

Mr Przelomiec told the jurors the four men in the video had all been members of the A$AP Collective and were old friends.

Ephron will testify he had been in a disagreement with Rocky and believed when they met up they would argue but reconcile, the prosecutor said.

The situation changed when Rocky pulled out a gun, but Ephron still pursued him as he walked away, Mr Przelomiec said, adding: “In his state of mind he never believed he was going to be shot.”

The defence lawyer argued Ephron was not scared because he “knew that gun wasn’t real”.

Scraped knuckles

Mr Przelomiec showed jurors a photo of bloody scrapes on Ephron’s knuckles which he said may have come from the shooting, but were irrelevant to the charges.

Mr Tacopina argued Ephron had actually been the aggressor and Rocky had fired blank shots from his prop gun to stop him from attacking one of their A$AP crew members who was with him, which was why Ephron scraped his knuckles.

He also said seven officers who searched the scene found neither shell casings nor a weapon.

Rapper turned down prosecution plea offer

The trial comes after the rapper turned down a final prosecution plea offer – to plead guilty to one of his two felony counts and serve 180 days in prison.

It means he faces a potential maximum jail sentence of 24 years if he is found guilty by jurors.

The trial is set to last about three weeks.

Rocky, a Grammy-nominated star, is in a relationship with Rihanna, and the couple have two toddler sons. The Umbrella singer was not in court.

Rocky has been named as one of the celebrity chairmen of this year’s Met Gala in May and has a major role in a Spike Lee-directed film with Denzel Washington to be released soon after.

Marilyn Manson will not be charged following a lengthy investigation into sexual assault and domestic violence allegations, prosecutors have said.

Los Angeles county district attorney Nathan Hochman said some of the alleged incidents had happened too long ago, while there was not sufficient evidence to charge the 56-year-old, whose legal name is Brian Warner, over some of the other claims.

Mr Hochman said: “We have determined that allegations of domestic violence fall outside of the statute of limitations, and we cannot prove charges of sexual assault beyond a reasonable doubt.

“We recognise and applaud the courage and resilience of the women who came forward to make reports and share their experiences, and we thank them for their cooperation and patience with the investigation.”

LA county sheriff’s detectives announced in early 2021 that they were investigating Manson for incidents between 2009 and 2011 in West Hollywood, where he lived at the time.

The case was initially turned over to prosecutors in September 2021. However, the probe continued after the county district attorney’s office requested more evidence.

Almost four years after the investigation began, officials said in October that new leads were being pursued, adding to an “already extensive” file.

The identities of the women who spoke to authorities were not revealed, but Game Of Thrones actress Esme Bianco, who sued Manson in a case that has since been settled, said she was part of the criminal investigation.

In an Instagram post, she said she was “deeply disappointed” by the decision not to charge Manson, but was “sadly not surprised”.

She had previously criticised how long the investigation was taking.

In 2021, Manson’s former fiancée Westworld actor Evan Rachel Wood accused him of abuse in an Instagram post.

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Wood and Manson’s relationship became public in 2007, when he was 38 and she was 19, and they were briefly engaged three years later before breaking up.

Manson sued Wood over her claims but a judge threw out large sections of the suit and in November the musician dropped the case.

Lynn Ban, star of Netflix reality show Bling Empire: New York, has died after having brain surgery due to a skiing accident.

The 51-year-old jewellery designer from Singapore died on Monday, her son Sebastian announced on social media – weeks after she underwent emergency brain surgery due to a skiing accident.

Last month, Ban, who lived in New York, shared with her Instagram followers that she “had a ski accident that would change my life” while on holiday in Aspen on Christmas Eve.

She revealed a CAT scan showed she had a severe head injury, including a brain bleed, meaning she needed an emergency craniotomy.

She said she woke up in hospital with her husband Jett Kain nearby, and hoped to recover this year.

In an update on her Instagram account on Wednesday, her son Sebastian wrote: “My mum passed away on Monday. I know she wanted to share her journey after her accident and brain surgery, so I thought she would appreciate one last post sharing the news to people who supported her.

“Many of you followed my mum but never got the chance to know her or meet her in person,” he added.

“I would like to take the chance to share who my mum really was. She was and always will be my best friend, the best mother to me, and someone who cared for all.

“She always had a smile on her face even when times were tough during her recovery process.

“She was a fighter until the end and is the strongest woman I know. She was the funniest and coolest mum I could ever ask for. She took care of me, my dad, and our entire family throughout her whole life.

“Although she may be gone now, I will do everything I can to make sure she is never forgotten and for her life to be celebrated as it deserves to be.

“As a final message to my mum, I would just like to say that I will miss you forever and to end in something she always told me ‘I love you more than life itself’ mum.”

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Ban starred in Bling Empire: New York, a spinoff of the popular Netflix reality series Bling Empire, which followed a group of wealthy Asian American socialites living in Los Angeles.

She also had a private jewellery label which catered to a host of celebrities, including thRihanna, Beyonce, Cardi B, Billie Eilish, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar and Post Malone.

Pop star Rihanna was among those who paid tribute on social media, writing: “2025 is rocking me at this point! This is too much!!! Lynn you will always be our fairy godmother!”

Designers Bea Akerlund and Phillip Bloch, Younger star Debi Mazar, and A Star Is Born actress Drena De Niro also paid tribute.