LOS ANGELES — A man claiming that A$AP Rocky shot at him in 2021 is back in court today for more cross-examination following a challenging day on the stand. The proceedings will focus on the specifics of the alleged incident, which took place on a Hollywood street.
The man, known as A$AP Relli, expressed during his testimony that despite his memories of the event becoming less clear over the three years since it occurred, it does not alter the fundamental facts of what transpired. “A gun was pulled on me. It was pointed at me, and it was fired later,” he stated at the Los Angeles trial of Rocky, who was once his friend. He added, “If he were innocent, he would have been free a long time ago.”
Rihanna, an acclaimed singer and Rocky’s partner, has attended the trial for two consecutive days, sitting quietly in the audience. Following the adjournment of court for the day, Judge Mark Arnold indicated that he had missed a part of Relli’s last statement and advised the jury to ignore it when they reconvene for further cross-examination.
Relli, whose legal name is Terell Ephron, testified that Rocky aimed a gun at both his stomach and head without actually making contact, threatening to kill him in the process. During cross-examination, Rocky’s attorney, Joe Tacopina, referred to a prosecution interview conducted in 2022, where Relli claimed that the gun was pressed against his stomach and didn’t recall what Rocky had said.
During an intense moment in court, Relli broke decorum to yell at Rocky, “You did this to yourself.” The judge reprimanded him for the outburst, to which Relli replied, “He was staring at me!” Rocky, whose legal name is Rakim Athelaston Mayers, sat silently at the defense table dressed in a black suit, facing two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm for allegedly shooting at Relli, a friend since their school days. A conviction could lead to a possible sentence of up to 25 years imprisonment.
Rihanna, who shares two young sons with Rocky, made headlines with her appearance in court on Wednesday and returned the next day to support him. Her presence drew attention as she sat between Rocky’s mother and sister, entering the courtroom discreetly. Dressed casually in a white top and gold earrings, she calmly observed the proceedings.
Tacopina’s questioning focused on the events leading up to the confrontation between Rocky and Relli. However, by the end of the day’s session, they had not yet reached the section where the shots were supposedly fired. The attorney spent considerable time exploring Relli’s feelings toward Rocky prior to the incident. Relli often seemed frustrated and evasive, frequently interrupting with “I don’t recall” before Tacopina completed his questions.
He denied having any ill will towards Rocky before the incident, even as the defense presented text messages and past testimonies implying otherwise. “You are trying to make me look like I have some kind of animosity towards this dude. I don’t,” Relli insisted. “I never did. To this day, I don’t.”
Both Rocky and Rihanna, aged 36, are parents to RZA Athelston Mayers, who is 2 years old, and Riot Rose Mayers, aged 1. The couple’s relationship began to flourish in 2020, though they initially collaborated on a song in 2012.
A native of Harlem, Rocky achieved significant fame in New York’s rap scene beginning in 2011, and his first studio album hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart in 2013. This year is shaping up to be a pivotal time for him as a multimedia artist; he is scheduled to attend the Grammy Awards at Crypto.com Arena this Sunday, just two miles from the trial location. Furthermore, he will act alongside Denzel Washington in a Spike Lee-directed film and has been named a co-chair for the upcoming Met Gala in May.
