Megan Thee Stallion’s Attorney Alex Spiro Refutes Tory Lanez’s Missing Gun Allegation; Confirms Firearm from Shooting is in LAPD Custody

Alex Spiro, the attorney representing Megan Thee Stallion, has refuted Tory Lanez’s (also known as Daystar Shemuel Shua Peterson) allegations regarding the alleged absence of the firearm that was supposedly used in the shooting incident involving the artist.

As reported by legal journalist Meghann Cuniff, Spiro stated on Monday, October 28, 2024, that both the gun and its associated magazine were “present and accounted for”under the custody of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).

Spiro’s remarks were made in response to Lanez’s recent filing of an appellate petition, where he claimed the lack of the firearm and bullet fragments linked to the shooting obstructed his ability to establish his innocence.

To provide some context, Tory Lanez is currently serving a decade-long prison term after being convicted for shooting Megan in 2020. The incident arose from a confrontation on a roadside that involved the two musicians and Megan’s then-best friend, Kelsey Harris, culminating in the shooting of the Houston rapper’s foot.

Claims of Rights Violations in Tory Lanez’s Legal Defense

The legal team for Tory Lanez, comprised of attorneys Crystal Morgan and Michael Hayden from the non-profit organization Unite the People, which Lanez supports as a donor and board member, filed this appeal last week on his behalf.

Meghann Cuniff noted that in the legal documents, it was indicated that Lanez was unable to “file any claim of innocence”due to his inability to “conduct further testing,”as both the “firearm and bullet fragments”are reportedly missing.

The petition asserts that the failure to preserve crucial and exculpatory evidence signifies a violation of Lanez’s “First and Fourteenth Amendment rights”by the prosecution. Consequently, the lawyers argued that this should result in a vacating of Lanez’s ten-year sentence.

While the creator of “Lady of Namek”stated that DNA evidence was pivotal in his conviction, Cuniff highlighted that during the trial, Deputy District Attorney Alexander Bott from Los Angeles County explicitly mentioned that this DNA evidence wasn’t included in the “bucket of evidence”presented to establish his guilt.

On Friday, October 25, the appellate court issued an order to review all petitions filed by Lanez collectively. This encompassed his appeal against wrongful imprisonment and another filing made following a post-trial statement by Lanez’s driver, Jauquan Smith.

In July 2024, Smith provided a post-trial declaration about the 2020 events, claiming he did not witness who shot the Mamushi singer but had seen Kelsey with the gun and Lanez attempting to wrestle it away from her.

Following the court’s order, Unite the People announced via Instagram that the court had accepted Lanez’s claim of innocence, which sparked waves of misinformation on social media.

Alex Spiro then expressed his intention to “take action”against those spreading false information. He questioned the priorities of Unite the People for involving themselves in Lanez’s case, saying:

“There are lots of people in jail that need help who tell the truth and who are innocent and deserve to be freed. I’d rather they spend their time on that than nonsense like this.”

If Tory Lanez’s appeal is granted and his sentence is overturned, he would remain in prison, as the case would be remanded to the Los Angeles County Superior Court for resentencing.

As of now, Lanez’s legal representative has not made any public comments regarding this unfolding situation.

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