Rihanna brings her young children to court as A$AP Rocky’s gun assault trial heads towards verdict
Rihanna's rapper partner could face 24 years in prison.
Rihanna was pictured with her sons Rza and Riot supporting husband A$AP Rocky in court as his gun assault trial heads towards a verdict.
The rapper, real name Rakim Mayers, is standing trial charged with two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic weapon.
He is accused of firing a gun at a friend in 2021, but he pleaded not guilty and rejected a plea deal that would have seen him serve six months in prison and a seven-year suspended sentence.
Umbrella hitmaker Rihanna, 36, was spotted arriving at the courtroom in Los Angeles with Rza, two, and Riot, one.
She appeared sombre dressed in a brown leather trench coat while carrying her youngest son.
Both of the toddlers were wearing blue suits as they arrived to support their father, 36, who was initially arrested in 2022 following the alleged incident.
The songstress was spotted arriving at a Los Angeles courtroom with her young sons in tow (Picture: ShotbyNYP / BACKGRID) Rza and Riot were dressed in matching suits to support their father (Picture: TURBO / BACKGRID) A$AP Rocky, real name Rakim Mayers, is accused of firing a gun at a friend in 2021 (Picture: DUTCH / BACKGRID)NBC News reported that Mayers has declined to take the stand in his own defence.
The musician claims he was holding a fake gun on the night of the alleged incident, which he carried for security reasons.
His lawyer, Joe Tacopina, has further claimed that the starting pistol only fires blanks.
Mayers is said to have taken the prop from the set of his music video for DMB, which featured Rihanna.
Lou Levin appeared in court to defend Mayers, saying: ‘Security and I thought it would be a good idea, because of the prior violence.
The rapper claims the firearm was a prop gun that he carries for security reasons (Picture: via REUTERS) It is alleged he took the prop from the set of music video DMB which featured Rihanna (Picture: Dsanchez/CPR / BACKGRID)‘It’s just a nonlethal form of self-defense.’
A$AP Relli, real name Terell Ephron, claims Mayers held a gun to his stomach and said: ‘I’ll kill you right now.’
He then alleges the musician fired at least four shots, one of which is said to have hit Relli’s hand.
In a separate lawsuit, Ephron has claimed that he’s a victim of emotional distress, assault and battery, and negligence.
Ephron claims he was ‘lured’ to an ‘obscure location’ outside LA’s W Hotel on November 6 2021 to iron out a disagreement.
A$AP Relli, real name Terell Ephron, claims Mayers fired four shots at him (Picture: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) If found guilty, Mayers could face 24 years in prison (Picture: Cindy Ord/WireImage)A$AP Twelvyy testified that Mayers fired the shots as a warning to stop Ephron from attacking fellow A$AP Mob crew member A$AP Illz.
Tacopina branded the key prosecution witness and accuser ‘an angry pathological liar’ who ‘committed perjury again and again and again and again.’
The incident was captured on CCTV footage, which prosecutors claim shows Mayers firing the weapon. His attorneys denied the claims and argued the footage should not be permissible as evidence.
Following the closing arguments on Thursday, the jury will begin deliberations on a verdict.
If convicted, Mayers could face up to 24 years in prison.
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