Family and supporters say Tory Lanez is languishing in a California prison for a crime they claim he did not commit.
The rapper’s father and his attorneys gathered in downtown Los Angeles on May 14, to voice support for the hip-hop star who is serving ten years for shooting Megan Thee Stallion in her feet following a party in 2020.
The gathering came two days after Lanez, born Daystar Peterson, was brutally attacked at the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi.
Led by defense attorneys with Unite The People, a nonprofit that assists incarcerated individuals and their relatives, supporters spoke out against the prosecutors who sent Lanez to prison.
“Mr. Peterson was never given a fair trial, free from bias, political interference and media-driven pressure,” said activist Gianno Caldwell, who blamed former L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón, for piling on charges against the rapper.
Related: Tory Lanez Recovering After Being ‘Stabbed 14 Times’ at California Prison
Lanez’s father, Sonstar Peterson, detailed his son’s injuries for reporters — information that was shared in a statement on the rapper’s verified Instagram page. That statement said Lanez was “stabbed 14 times” and “both of his lungs collapsed.”
Peterson said his son feared he would not survive.
“He expressed his peace with God, believing it was his time,” Peterson stated. “God told him, ‘Do not give up!'” he continued.
Peterson said the rapper was airlifted to a hospital in a nearby town.
Ceasar McDowell, CEO and co-founder of Unite the People, added that it’s time for Lanez to be released.
“Enough is enough. It’s time to bring the brother home,” McDowell said.
Lanez, 32, was convicted in December 2022 on three felony counts — assault with a semiautomatic firearm; discharging a firearm with gross negligence; and carrying a loaded unregistered firearm in a vehicle; along with the special allegation of using a firearm to inflict great bodily injury.
The Canadian rapper was represented by attorney George Mgdesyan at trial.
But on Wednesday, attorney Walter Roberts said the rapper did not pull the trigger. Roberts told reporters Megan’s former best friend, Kelsey Harris, shot the “Savage” performer on July 12, 2020.
According to Roberts, a bodyguard has come forward to say he overheard Harris, who was in the vehicle with Tory and Megan that day, state that she allegedly fired the shots.
Urban Hollywood 411 contacted Harris for comment, however, she did not respond.
During Lanez’s trial, his previous attorney Mgdesyan argued Harris was “the one who shot her friend,” and alleged Megan made up a fake story about the shooting, but jurors found LAPD evidence more credible and voted to convict Lanez.
As for the prison shooting, according to Pedro Calderón Michel, deputy press secretary with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Lanez was in a housing unit at the prison when he was attacked by a fellow inmate around 7:20 a.m. on May 12.
In an email to Urban Hollywood 411, Calderón Michel identified the suspect who allegedly stabbed Lanez as Santino Casio, 42, who is serving a life sentence after being convicted for second-degree murder.
The Kern County District Attorney’s Office is investigating the stabbing and Casio could face additional charges.
Watch Tory Lanez’s father speak to reporters in the video above:
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