A$AP Rocky found not guilty of shooting A$AP Relli

Rapper A$AP Rocky, also known as Rakim Mayers, has been found not guilty of shooting Terell Ephron in 2021.

Ephron, who goes by the stage name A$AP Relli, accused Mayers of felony assault for allegedly firing two shots from a handgun and grazing his ankles. Beginning on January 24, the trial lasted two weeks in Los Angeles. The rapper could have faced up to 24 years in prison.

"Thank y'all for saving my life. Thank you. Thank y'all. You're making the right decision," Mayers said to the jurors as they left the courtroom.

After the verdict was read, Mayers rushed to hug his family and partner Rihanna.

“The glory belongs to God and God alone! Thankful, humbled by his mercy!” Rihanna posted to her Instagram story.

Mayers' defense attorney Joe Tacopina also represented Donald Trump in lawsuits with Stormy Daniels. He argued that Mayers had fired a prop gun from the set of a music video, while Ephron testified that he believed the gun was real.

“He turned around and then it was like, ‘Boom!’” said Ephron. “The whole thing was like a movie, he kind of like pointed down and he shot the first shot.”

Formed in 2006, Mayers and Ephron were both members of New York hip-hop group A$AP Mob. A$AP Twelvyy, another member of the group who was present at the alleged shooting, testified that Mayers fired the shots as a warning to Ephron to stop attacking members of their crew. According to Twelvvy, all parties knew the gun was fake.

Jurors were provided surveillance footage of the incident and listened to witness testimony claiming to hear the shooting from an apartment building.

“[Mayers has] become a dear friend of mine more than a client. And that's why cases like this are really difficult for me because there's so much on the line,” said Tacopina. “I mean, I care about every client I represent to the point where they become family. This was at a different level.”