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Never-before-seen testimony from Tory Lanez's driver has finally surfaced amid the rapper's bid to appeal his conviction in the Megan Thee Stallion shooting case.
On Monday, July 29, the California Attorney General’s Office responded to a habeas petition from appellate lawyers for Lanez, born Daystar Peterson. According to law reporter Meghann Cuniff, the new filing contained court documents from Lanez's former lawyer George Mgdesyan including witness testimony from Lanez's driver Jauquan Smith. Smith detailed the events leading up to the moment when Meg, born Megan Pete, was shot in the feet. He claimed he saw Lanez and Meg's former friend Kelsey Harris fight over the gun, but didn't see who pulled the trigger.
“Ms. Pete and Ms. Harris began fighting," Smith said in his testimony. "I pulled over to stop them. Ms. Pete and Ms. Harris both got out of the vehicle and continued to fight, both verbally and physically. I broke up this fight and was pulling Ms. Pete toward the back of the car. I saw Ms. Harris with a gun in her hand. Mr. Peterson ran from behind Ms. Pete and myself toward Ms. Harris. Mr. Peterson and Ms. Harris began struggling as Mr. Peterson tried to unarm Ms. Harris. I was still pulling Ms. Pete and did not see who shot the weapon."
Smith also noted that he wanted to offer this information during the trial, but said the District Attorney decided not to call on him. The imprisoned artist's attorneys previously argued that testimony from Smith was "unknown" throughout the trial in 2022. However, in the new filing, Deputy Attorney General Michael C. Keller explained the defense didn't think Smith would be "helpful."
“Defense counsel acknowledged that he had spoken with Smith regarding his observations and determined that Smith would not be a helpful witness,” Keller wrote.
Tory Lanez is trying to overturn his conviction after he was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He recently told fans he would be home soon before releasing new music from behind bars.