Things are looking tense for ASAP Rocky as his trial unfolds, with the rapper facing up to 24 years in prison. On the first day of court proceedings, Rocky’s defense team dropped a bombshell, admitting for the first time that he fired a gun during the alleged incident.
Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, reportedly fired “two warning shots” from what his lawyer described as a “starter gun” during a scuffle between fellow A$AP Mob members. Defense attorney Joseph Tacopina told the jury that the shots were meant to break up an altercation between A$AP Relli and A$AP Illz, whose legal name is Illijah Ulanger.
“Rocky fired that prop gun,” Tacopina said. “He fired twice, hoping the sound would scare off Relli and protect Illz.”
According to Tacopina, the gun wasn’t even real. He described it as a starter pistol, or “prop gun,” allegedly taken from the set of a music video Rocky had filmed with Rihanna, his superstar girlfriend and the mother of his two sons. The defense argued that the rapper carried the fake firearm for protection after dealing with previous violence and a stalker.
Tacopina painted Relli as the mastermind behind a fabricated story, claiming he’s driven by “lies, jealousy, and greed.” He told jurors, “This case is all about money. The evidence will show Relli is trying to leverage a fake story to extract cash.”
Prosecutors, however, presented a different narrative. They introduced key evidence, including a 911 call from a witness who claimed to see the “shooting” and a photo of a loaded 9mm magazine allegedly found during a search of Rocky’s home.
“This is not a complicated case,” Deputy District Attorney Paul Przelomiec told the jury. He urged them to use their common sense when evaluating the evidence.
With the trial now underway, all eyes are on ASAP Rocky as the case unfolds in a Los Angeles courtroom.