LOS ANGELES (CNS) – Prosecutors Thursday concluded their presentation of evidence in the trial of rapper and fashion mogul A$AP Rocky, who is charged with firing a gun at a former friend on a Hollywood street in 2021.
The final prosecution witnesses Thursday were two members of the Los Angeles Police Department: the lead detective in the case and a criminalist.
LAPD Detective Frank Flores told jurors that surveillance video of the scene of the altercation does not conclusively prove a shooting took place. However, he said the sound of gunshots and the actions of the men in video coverage suggests that a shooting did occur at the location on the evening of Nov. 6, 2021.
Rocky, whose legal name is Rakim Mayers, has pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. If convicted as charged, he would face up to eight years in prison, prosecutors said.
The charges stem from an incident in which Rocky allegedly fired a gun at his former friend and fellow A$AP Mob member, A$AP Relli, whose real name is Terell Ephron. Relli alleges he suffered scraped knuckles in the altercation.
Rocky denies shooting the gun at Relli and contends the firearm is a starter pistol he carried for safety reasons. Rocky’s attorney, Joe Tacopina, maintains the weapon was a prop from a music video that was incapable of firing real ammunition. The gun does not now exist, Tacopina said.
The defense is set to begin calling witnesses Friday. Their witness list is expected to include two other members of Rocky and Relli’s A$AP Mob crew who were at the scene, A$AP Twelvyy and A$AP Illz.
Trial observers noted that Thursday afternoon, pop star Rihanna — Rocky’s longtime partner and the mother of the couple’s two children — appeared in the downtown Los Angeles courtroom to show support for her boyfriend. She previously showed up for the trial for three days last week.
Relli, the key witness in the prosecution case, testified for several days on the stand, frequently lashing out at Tacopina and showing anger at defense questioning.
Relli says that after the alleged shooting, he left the scene, but returned about an hour later — after police had unsuccessfully searched the area for evidence of shots fired — to find two shell casings on the street.
Flores testified Tuesday that he did not see Relli on surveillance video showing the Hollywood street at the time the accuser says he found the shell casings from the gun allegedly used to shoot at him.
No fingerprints were found on the casings Relli provided to law enforcement two days after the incident, the detective said.
Prosecutors have been attempting to persuade the jury that Rocky used street justice and a gun to settle a beef with Relli.
The trial began Jan. 24 after Rocky rejected a plea deal that would have required him to plead guilty to one of two felony charges of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and serve six months behind bars.
In his opening statement, Tacopina accused Relli of being driven by “jealousy, lies and greed,” and alleged that he invented parts of his story of being attacked to bolster an attempt to siphon cash from Rocky.
Rocky was arrested in April 2022 upon returning to Los Angeles from a trip with Rihanna to her native Barbados. Relli filed a lawsuit for assault, battery and emotional distress against Rocky four months later.
Meanwhile, it was announced Tuesday that Rocky was named a co-chair for the 2025 Met Gala on May 5 at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. This year’s exhibit, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” focuses on menswear, with LeBron James tapped as the gala’s honorary chair member.
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