ASAP Rocky found not guilty of 2021 Hollywood shooting. Jurors acquitted him of assault charges.
Rocky hugged Rihanna after the verdict. His real name is Rakim Mayers; he is 36 years old, a rapper, and a fashion icon. He could have faced 24 years in prison.
Rocky refused a plea deal that offered six months jail, probation, and other conditions. He insisted he was innocent. Jurors had reasonable doubt of his guilt.
Rihanna cried and hugged the lawyers. She attended the trial sometimes and even brought their two sons to court. One is two, the other is one.
This verdict comes during peak fame for Rocky, who has many projects coming up soon. He can now pursue them without prison looming over him. He will headline a music festival soon and is a co-chair for the Met Gala. He is also in a Spike Lee movie that also stars Denzel Washington.
Prosecutors said he argued with ASAP Relli, a former friend and member of a crew called ASAP Mob. This crew started in high school. They met in Hollywood, and Rocky pulled a gun after a fight, shooting twice and hitting Relli’s knuckle. Relli was not seriously injured.
Rocky’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, said Relli is a liar and claimed he lied many times in court. Rocky’s side claimed he used a prop gun that only shoots blanks. He carried it for protection, having gotten it from a video shoot, because Relli was attacking their crew.
Jurors learned about the prop gun late in the process. No one mentioned it until the trial, three years later.
The judge gave the jury instructions, saying they could acquit him for self-defense if they thought he or his friends were in danger and he used reasonable force. It’s unknown why the jury acquitted him. Maybe they believed in the prop gun, or maybe they believed in self-defense.
The jurors did not explain their reasoning; they only had to reach the same conclusion. Rocky chose not to testify. The prosecutor urged jurors to ignore who he was, mentioning Rihanna bringing the kids to court, and asked them not to be swayed by that.