A very powerful testimony on the trial of the rapper A$AP Rocky received second billing for a second day as celebrity Rihanna sat quietly within the viewers.
Rihanna, A$AP Rocky’s accomplice, appeared at his Los Angeles trial once more on Thursday, sitting between his sister and mom.
Rocky, whose authorized identify is Rakim Athelston Mayers, is going through trial on two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, accused by a former good friend, A$AP Relli, of firing a gun at him in 2021.
A$AP Relli, who was born Terell Ephron, was anticipated to face a fierce cross-examination on Thursday. In testimony in earlier days, he has described the night time in November 2021 when he and Rocky, their relationship straining, had a confrontation and scuffled on a Hollywood road, and Rocky pointed a gun at him earlier than strolling away.
Relli testified that he was shouting at Rocky as he walked after him, then Rocky pulled the gun once more and held it within the air.
“He rotated after which it was like BOOM!” Relli informed the jury. “The entire thing was like a film, he sort of like pointed down and he shot the primary shot.”
He mentioned he felt a burning on his hand the place a bullet grazed it.
Relli testified Rocky fired one other shot that he didn’t see as a result of he had hidden behind a mutual good friend.
He mentioned, “I felt my hand scorching,” and later added: “I used to be hit. Or I used to be grazed. I didn’t have a gap or nothing.”
Rocky’s lawyer says the photographs he fired weren’t even from an actual gun – they had been blanks from a starter pistol that he carried as a prop. The lawyer mentioned Relli knew this, and that was why he was so fearless strolling after him.
“Oh it was an actual gun,” Relli testified below prosecution questioning, saying he knew due to his scraped hand.
For the reason that taking pictures and his choice to go to police and testify, he mentioned he has gotten loss of life threats, been shunned as a snitch and noticed the modest music administration profession he constructed collapse.
“It’s been a residing hell,” Relli mentioned.
About an hour after the taking pictures, Relli returned to the scene and mentioned he photographed and recovered two shell casings. Earlier, whereas responding to a report of a taking pictures, police didn’t discover any.
He despatched a textual content to Rocky that was proven in court docket saying: “U strive killing me.”
Rocky denied it in his reply: “Bro wtf is u talkin bout why u inform ppl I shot at u.”
He despatched Rocky pictures of the shell casings and his grazed hand.
Rocky mentioned he was making stuff up and talking “all sort of nonsense” and was attempting to “extort” him.
The decide within the case dominated on Thursday morning that Relli’s social media posts capturing what looks as if a luxurious life-style after the incident could be honest recreation for questioning.
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