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The day after Megan Thee Stallion testified that fellow rapper – and ex lover – Tory Lanez shot her, the singer’s ex-assistant, Kelsey Harris, told a jury Wednesday that Lanez threatened to shoot her too.
But when prosecutors asked Harris to describe exactly what Lanez said in his threat, she invoked the Fifth Amendment – the right not to testify.
However, she did tell the court that it was ‘ridiculous’ to believe that Harris herself was the one who pulled the trigger and shot at Megan Thee Stallion’s feet.
Deputy District Attorney Kathy Ta asked: ‘Why don’t you want to answer that question?’ while also suggesting that the reason Harris would not explain what happened might be that Lanez was sitting about 20 feet away in the courtroom.
Megan Thee Stallion’s assistant Kelsey Harris (pictured) revealed Tory Lanez threatened to shoot her before opening fire on the singer’s feet
The rapper entered the court yesterday wearing a purple power suit
Harris pleaded the fifth and asked for immunity during the trial – as she continued to say that she could not remember what happened that day
‘It doesn’t bother me – but I don’t want to be here,’ said Harris who, before her testimony began Wednesday, brought in her own attorney to plead the Fifth in the hope of not testifying at all.
But after hearing an assurance from the Deputy District Attorney Alex Bott that he’s not seeking to prosecute Harris for anything she says in the witness box, Judge David Herriford granted her ‘use immunity’.
Lanez, 30 – who wore a light brown suit and black turtleneck shirt Wednesday at criminal court in downtown Los Angeles – has pleaded not guilty to felony charges of assaulting Megan with a semiautomatic firearm and carrying a concealed gun in a vehicle. He could spend up to 12 years in prison if convicted.
Last week the LA DA added another felony charge – discharging a firearm with gross negligence – which carries an additional 6-year jail term, plus possible deportation for the Canadian-born musician, whose real name is Daystar Peterson. He’s denied the third charge as well.
In a full day of testimony Tuesday, Megan, 27, told the jury of eight women and four men that she and Lanez had been to a pool party July 12, 2020 at the home of Kylie Jenner – who may be called as defense witness – and were in his SUV in the Hollywood Hills with Megan’s assistant and best friend, Harris, when an argument erupted.
Megan – real name Megan Pete – asked Lanez’ driver to stop the car and she got out – which was when she said Lanez yelled ‘Dance b****’ and fired a gun several times at her, injuring her feet so seriously that she needed surgery.
Megan Thee Stallion took the stand in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom Tuesday morning, finally confronting Canadian rapper Tory Lanez
Megan Thee Stallion’s sharing pictures of the injuries her foot sustained after Tory Lanez allegedly shot her
Tory Lanez attended LA Superior Court today
She also testified that Lanez offered her and Harris a million dollars to keep quiet about the incident.
Lanez – who is free on $350,000 bail – later apologized to her, saying he was drunk at the time of the shooting.
Meanwhile, his defense team has suggested that it was Harris, not Lanez, who fired the gun.
In court Wednesday, Harris – dressed all in black – called the accusation that she shot Megan ‘ridiculous.’
But she admitted that in the SUV after the pool party, she argued with Megan over their rivalry for the affections of Lanez.
Beginning her testimony, Harris – who hasn’t seen Megan since the shooting incident – told Ta, ‘I don’t want to be here today. It’s a triggering situation.
‘My name has been thrown around – lies from Megan. I did not ask to be in this.
’She (Megan) has painted a picture that I betrayed her, that I’m this bad person….that I took hush money.’
Harris told the jury of seven women and five men a male alternate had to replace one of the female jurors Wednesday that she and Lanez had ‘more than a friendship’ before she went back to her native Texas to stay with her family during the Covid-19 crisis.
But by the time she returned to LA, Lanez’ relationship with Megan had grown more close, the court heard
A court sketch of Harris in court on Wednesday
At the pool gathering at Kylie Jenner’s home in July 2020, ‘Megan was drunk,’ said Harris. ‘Her demeanor was off. She was laughing obnoxiously’
Lanez’ defense team has suggested that it was Harris, not Lanez, who fired the gun
At the pool gathering at Kylie Jenner’s home in July 2020, ‘Megan was drunk,’ said Harris. ‘Her demeanor was off. She was laughing obnoxiously.’
And, she added, ‘Tory was being Tory, flirting with Kylie.’
Asked by Ta what happened when Harris, Megan and Lanez left in his SUV, Harris responded, ‘Do I have to answer that.’
When Judge Herriford told her ‘Yes,’ she said, ‘Megan was rambling. There was a lot of going back and forth, name calling, between me and Megan and Tory.’
When Tory made reference to the sexual relationship he had with Megan, Harris said, Megan was like, “Don’t listen to him…..Why are you telling her that?” I was confused – I didn’t know what was going on.’
Harris said she and Megan argued about her (Megan’s) relationship with Lanez and her ‘disloyalty.’
‘Megan and Tory were taking jabs at each other. She started attacking Tory’s career as an artist. Everyone was calling each other names.’
Harris told the jury that she ‘couldn’t remember’ seeing Lanez shoot at Megan.
‘I don’t know what I saw – it’s a blur,’ she said.
DDA Ta reminded Harris that last September, in an interview with the DA and police, she said she saw Lanez, ‘shooting over the car window…He was aiming the gun straight, but always in a downward direction toward Megan.
‘I don’t remember what I told you in September,’ she responded. ‘I said a few things that weren’t true.’
Lanez faces a prison sentence if found guilty following the 2020 shooting
When Ta confronted Harris with the question: ‘You saw what happened during the shooting, didn’t you?’ Harris replied, ’No, honestly no.’
And when Ta reminded her of her September 2022 interview with the DA and cops in which she said she had seen Lanez shooting at Megan, Harris said: ‘In that interview, I was not a hundred percent truthful….This was a night of alcohol. I don’t know.’
‘Did you shoot Megan?’ Ta asked her. ‘No,’ she answered.
‘Who shot Megan? Ta then queried. ‘All I heard was shots – I did not see who was shooting,’ said Harris.
‘Did you say in that September interview that after the shooting, Tory physically assaulted you?’ asked Ta. ‘I said a lot of things,’ Harris responded.
Exasperated by Harris’ vague responses and claims she didn’t remember, Ta asked her, ‘What’s going on with you today….In September you gave us a lot of details (about the shooting) but today everything is a blur to you.
‘What happened between September and today?’
Harris replied that she had been under a lot of stress, dealing with a death in her family, a sick baby and the fact that ‘I didn’t want to be here’ in court Wednesday.
Asked by Ta if Lanez had tried to contact her since her September interview with the police and DA, Harris said ’No.’
Harris did concede that after the shooting, she sent text messages to Megan’s security guard saying, ‘Help’, ‘Tory shot Meg,’ and ‘911.’
But when Ta asked her why she had sent the texts if she hadn’t actually seen Lanez shoot Megan, she replied, ‘Assumption….I was in a panic.’
Ta showed the jury photos Harris had taken of bruises she said in the September interview had been caused by Lanez’ assault on her after the shooting.
But when Harris was asked Wednesday how she got the bruises, she said: ‘I don’t know.’
Asked by Ta why she was not being truthful, Harris said, ‘To protect myself….I don’t want to incriminate myself.’
‘How could you incriminate yourself? Ta fired back. ‘Did you fire the weapon at Megan? ‘No,’ said Harris.
And she also told the court that after the shooting, she ‘didn’t notice’ the blood pouring from Megan’s wounded feet, nor the bloodstained towel in the back of the SUV which Megan used to mop up the blood.
Reminding Harris of the penalties of committing perjury, Ta asked her again, ‘You didn’t realize Meg was bleeding all over the back of the car?’
Said, Harris, ‘I wasn’t paying attention to the bleeding.’
When Lanez called Harris at the hospital where Megan was taken after the shooting, he said he was ‘deeply sorry’ and said he was very drunk at the time of the shooting incident.
But in the witness box Wednesday, when Ta asked her, ‘Did Tory say what he was apologizing for? Harris answered ’No.’
‘Did you ask him what he was apologizing for?’ said Ta. ‘No.’ she answered again.
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