On December 23, 2022, Grammy award winner Megan Jovon Ruth Pete, professionally known as Megan Thee Stallion, received the justice she rightfully deserves. If you didn’t already know, on July 12, 2020, Megan Thee Stallion was shot and wounded by Canadian rapper Daystar Peterson, better known as Tory Lanez. For two long years, Megan endured mental and emotional damage from being shot and also from trolls on her social media trying to destroy her character. Megan Thee Stallion broke her silence on April 25, 2022, in a sit-down interview with Gayle King. In this interview, Megan states, “She and a friend had been driving with Mr. Lanez after a party at the home of Kylie Jenner when an argument broke out in the SUV.” After she exited the vehicle, Megan said Mr. Lanez shouted “Dance” and a sexist slur before shooting her. In a New York Times article titled Megan Thee Stallion: Why I Speak Up for Black Women Megan wrote, “I was recently the victim of an act of violence by a man.” “After a party, I was shot twice as I walked away from him.”
Women in general need to support one another and be there if something tragic happens. Megan Thee Stallion feared for her life, and on numerous occasions, she wasn’t taken seriously. Men and women essentially laughed at her. Well, I am here to say, we stand with you, Megan!
The two-week trial concluded when jurors reached a guilty verdict after about seven hours of deliberations across two days. The evidence centered on text messages declaring that “Tory shot Meg” and bullet fragments that are still in her foot to this day. Tory Lanez was convicted on three felony counts: assault with a semiautomatic handgun; carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle; and discharging a firearm with gross negligence. Lanez could face a sentence of more than 22 years in prison and deportation back to Canada. He is scheduled to be sentenced on January 27, 2023. More Americans died of gun-related injuries in 2020 than in any other year on record. With that being said, we as a country have to take the necessary steps to demolish gun violence, and Megan Thee Stallion getting justice is one of those necessary steps. We stand with you, Megan, and we stand with any other victim of gun violence.