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A$AP Rocky is set to face trial on Friday for allegedly firing a gun at a former friend in Los Angeles. The rapper, whose legal name is Rakim Mayers, could face a 24-year prison sentence if convicted on two felony assault charges related to the 2021 incident near a Hollywood hotel. He has pleaded not guilty and denies the accusations.
The victim, fellow artist and childhood friend Terell Ephron, testified last year that bullets grazed his knuckles and he decided to seek medical treatment at a hospital after flying back to New York. A jury of seven women and five men was selected over the course of three days this week before the opening arguments kick off on Friday. The trial is expected to last about three weeks.
Authorities say the shooting happened on 6 November in 2021 after a heated discussion in Hollywood between the rapper and Terell Ephron, who were both part of the A$AP Mob hip-hop collective and have known one another since their time together at a New York high school. The rapper is alleged to have first pulled out the weapon in a threatening manner during a physical argument outdoors, just one block from the Hollywood Walk of Fame, according to the charging documents. Prosecutors say he later fired the weapon twice in the direction of the victim, who sustained a minor injury.
The rapper rejected a plea offer ahead of the trial and said the weapon he was accused of firing was a "prop gun" incapable of firing real ammunition, according to US media. The AP news agency reported that this would have meant agreeing to 180 days in prison.
The rapper's attorneys argued in court documents that the case should be dismissed over Mr Ephron taking multiple days to report the incident. Authorities who responded to the shooting did not find any shell casings when surveying the area but Mr Ephron returned to the scene later and gathered two shell casings he
said he found in the area. He brought them when he reported the incident two days later. The gun allegedly used in the incident was not located.
Mr Mayers's lawyer also questioned the wound Mr Ephron had on his hand and alleged it may have been from a punch. The trial is happening at a crucial moment for A$AP Rocky, who has two children with singer Rihanna.
