The already convoluted and deeply contentious legal saga surrounding the 2020 shooting incident involving Canadian rapper Tory Lanez and Hip-Hop superstar Megan Thee Stallion has been plunged into a fresh whirlpool of controversy. A recently surfaced bodycam footage, widely circulated across social media platforms, particularly X (formerly Twitter), has ignited a fervent debate among users, with some now questioning the fundamental premise of the case: whether Megan Thee Stallion was, in fact, shot. This astonishing new development is adding an unpredictable twist to a case that culminated in Lanez's December 2022 conviction and subsequent 10-year prison sentence.
For those tracking this high-profile case, the core narrative has long been established. On July 12, 2020, following a pool party at Kylie Jenner’s residence, Megan Thee Stallion (real name Megan Pete) alleged that Tory Lanez (real name Daystar Peterson) shot her in both feet during a heated argument. The incident reportedly occurred as they departed in a vehicle also occupied by Megan’s former friend Kelsey Harris and Lanez’s bodyguard, Jaquan Smith. During the trial, evidence presented included Megan’s compelling testimony, a pivotal text message from Kelsey Harris stating, “Tory shot Meg,” and a jail call where Lanez reportedly apologized. Medical reports confirmed injuries to Megan's feet, necessitating surgery to remove bullet fragments, with X-rays presented at trial further substantiating the physical trauma. Despite this robust evidence, Tory Lanez has consistently maintained his innocence, and his legal team has ceaselessly worked to introduce new claims aimed at challenging the verdict.
The latest wave of contention stems from the alleged bodycam footage, which has sent shockwaves across the internet. In the clip, Megan Thee Stallion can be heard speaking to a police officer, appearing distressed. Her words, now scrutinized by millions, include lines such as: “I really cannot go to jail. I cannot have that on my image… Glass. I didn’t get sh*t.” In the same video, Lanez is reportedly heard interjecting, "I was just trying to help my girlfriend. Mego don't worry it's gonna be okay." This dialogue, particularly Megan’s alleged utterance of "I was not shot," has fueled a fresh wave of speculation and claims from social media users and Lanez's supporters that the Canadian rapper is innocent.
Further compounding the complexity, another piece of footage from the same night reportedly features a witness identified as Sean Kelly, stating that he saw a woman fire a gun. This aligns with a significant new claim introduced by Lanez's legal representatives.
On May 14, 2025, a legal team representing Lanez, Unite the People, held a press conference wherein they directly alleged that it was Kelsey Harris, not Lanez, who fired the gun. Walter Roberts, the lead consultant for Unite the People, presented a statement from Bradley James, allegedly Harris’s former bodyguard. James purportedly claimed he overheard Harris admit to firing three shots at Megan. Roberts further elaborated that Lanez intervened by knocking Harris’s arm down, causing two additional shots, and that Lanez himself never fired the weapon. This narrative, if substantiated, would dramatically alter the understanding of the incident and would align with testimony from Sean Kelly, the neighbor who reportedly witnessed two women fighting before shots were fired.
Megan Thee Stallion has not remained silent in the face of these renewed challenges to her testimony and the trial's outcome. In a powerful TikTok post on May 19, 2025, she vehemently denied the new claims, branding Lanez a "demon." Her impassioned message underscored her unwavering stance: "He didn’t dare get on that stand and deny he shot me because he knows he did that sh--." Her statement reflects the immense personal toll and ongoing emotional distress she has endured throughout this highly public and intensely scrutinized ordeal. Her attorney, Alex Spiro, has also released a statement dismissing the "new evidence" as a rehashing of old arguments, emphasizing that the conviction was based on overwhelming evidence, including Lanez's own admission of guilt, texts, and DNA.
As of the current reporting, authorities have yet to issue an official statement regarding the newly surfaced bodycam footage or the specific claims made by Lanez's defense team. Similarly, Megan Thee Stallion's official representatives have not formally reacted to the latest video evidence beyond her social media remarks and her lawyer's statements to media.
The emergence of this bodycam footage, coupled with the persistent efforts of Tory Lanez’s legal team to introduce new evidence and challenge the verdict, ensures that this high-profile case will continue to be a focal point of public discussion and legal scrutiny. While Tory Lanez serves his 10-year sentence for assault with a semiautomatic firearm, possession of a concealed unregistered firearm, and negligent discharge of a firearm, the ongoing twists and turns underscore the complex, often contentious, nature of justice in the public eye. The entertainment world, along with legal analysts and the public, remains keenly attuned to any further developments in this polarizing and deeply impactful case.
