Megan Thee Stallion takes the stand in Tory Lanez’s felony assault trial

This week, Megan Thee Stallion entered a Los Angeles courtroom to offer her testimony and recall the sequence of events that led to Tory Lanez allegedly shooting her in both feet in July 2020.

“I just don’t feel good,” Megan (legal name Megan Pete) stated at the beginning of questioning from Deputy District Attorney Kathy Ta, per AP. “I can’t believe I have to come in here and do this.”

From there, she described the night of July 12, 2020, when she, Kelsey Harris, Lanez (whose legal name is Daystar Peterson), and his bodyguard all left the Hollywood Hills home of Kylie Jenner following a party. An argument erupted when Peterson started calling Pete and Harris “bitches and hoes,” trying to stir up resentment between the two women over their respective relationships with Peterson.

Things began to escalate when the two rappers’ careers and status in the music industry entered the conversation, causing the argument to further spiral. It was then Pete tried to exit the SUV for the second time that evening. Pete stated that’s when Peterson shouted, “Dance bitch,” at her before opening fire from the car.

“I’m in shock. I’m scared,” Pete testified, according to The Los Angeles Times. “I hear the gun going off, and I can’t believe he’s shooting at me.”

In the courtroom, she was questioned on the story she told police when they first arrived on the scene, as she initially told them her foot injury was caused by stepping on glass.

“In the Black community—in my community—it’s not really acceptable to be cooperating with police officers,” Pete said, per NPR, citing the then-recent death of George Floyd and the subsequent Black Lives Matters protests.

She also discussed the negative repercussions she has faced in her personal life and career following the shooting.

“This situation has only been worse for me and it has only made him more famous,” Pete said during the morning testimony. “Because I was shot, I’ve been turned into some kind of villain, and he’s the victim. This has messed up my whole life… This whole situation in the industry is like a big boy’s club… I’m telling on one of y’all friends, now you’re all about to hate me.”

“I can’t even be happy,” she said. “I can’t hold conversations with people for a long time. I don’t feel like I want to be on this earth. I wish he would have just shot and killed me, if I knew I would have to go through this torture.”

Harris, whose relationship with Pete since the alleged shooting has been estranged (to say the least), also took the stand this week. In opening statements, the prosecution stated Harris would corroborate Pete’s story and name Peterson as the shooter. However, when Harris took the stand, she then did not have anything to say at all, calling the night’s events “blurry” at best.

“I don’t care to be here today,” Harris told the courtroom when she took the stand. She would go on to invoke her fifth amendment twice to avoid self-incrimination. Prior to her 40-minute testimony, she was granted immunity.

In September, Harris sat down with police for a recorded interview, during which she described the night’s events clearly and in specific detail. Now, the best she could offer the judge and jury was, “I honestly don’t remember.”

Harris then backpedaled on her earlier claims, stating that most of them were lies used to protect herself. When asked about the text messages she sent Pete’s bodyguard after the alleged shooting, which read, “Help. Tory shot Meg. 911,” she said she could not recall why she sent those messages, and she never saw Peterson wield a weapon (conflicting with her previous interview). She then refused to answer questions concerning whether Peterson had threatened her.

It’s a confusing turn in the court proceedings, as Harris’ critical testimony only further muddled any descriptions of what happened that night.