A$AP Rocky delivered a short message to the jury after he was found not guilty of two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm.
The charges stemmed from a 2021 incident in which Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, was accused of firing a handgun at former friend Terell Ephron on a Hollywood street, per BBC News.
Ephron, also known as A$AP Relli, alleged that during a scuffle on November 6, 2021, Rocky pulled a gun and fired twice, with one shot grazing his knuckle. Ephron was not seriously injured.
Rocky’s attorney, Joe Tacopina, had aggressively defended his client, describing Ephron as “an angry pathological liar” who “committed perjury again and again and again and again.”
In the lead-up to the trial, Rocky declined a plea deal offered by prosecutors, which would have required him to serve six months in jail along with probation and other conditions.
Instead, he maintained his innocence and opted for a jury trial – a decision that ultimately paid off, as the jurors found reasonable doubt in the allegations.
Following the jury’s not guilty verdict in a Los Angeles court on February 18, Rocky expressed his gratitude, telling the jury: “Thank y’all for saving my life.”
The verdict was a major relief for the 36-year-old hip-hop artist, fashion mogul, and actor.
After it was read, Rocky immediately embraced his longtime partner and mother of his two children, Rihanna, in the courtroom gallery.
Rihanna later shared her reaction on Instagram, writing: “The glory belongs to God and God alone. Thankful, humbled by his mercy!”
Speaking outside court amid a frenzied media scrum, Rocky said, per Sky News: “First of all, I gotta thank God. I really wanna thank the jury for making the right decision.
“I’m so thankful this is crazy right now. I’m thankful… we’re blessed to be a freeman talking to all of y’all.”
With the legal battle behind him, Rocky now looks ahead to a busy year in his career. He is set to headline the Rolling Loud music festival in March and will serve as one of the celebrity co-chairs for the prestigious Met Gala in May.
Additionally, he is set to star alongside Denzel Washington in director Spike Lee’s upcoming film Highest 2 Lowest, expected to premiere in early summer.
