A$AP Rocky gun trial to begin in Los Angeles

The shooting trial against popular rapper A$AP Rocky began Friday with opening statements in Los Angeles.

The 36-year-old hip-hop rapper, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, is accused of firing a gun at a former friend and bandmate during a heated exchange in 2021 in Hollywood.

Mayers has pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. Prosecutors say he shot in the direction of fellow rapper Terell Ephron, who went by the name A$AP Relli.

Ephron believed one of the bullets grazed his left hand, he told authorities at the time.

Jury selection began Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Mayers faces up to 24 years in prison if convicted.

Former L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón said in 2022 that the shooting could have ended in tragedy.

“Discharging a gun in a public place is a serious offense that could have ended with tragic consequences not only for the person targeted but also for innocent bystanders visiting Hollywood,” Gascón said in a statement.

Rocky, a Grammy-nominated artist, is the partner of singer Rihanna, with whom he shares two children.

In 2019, he was found guilty of assault in a Swedish court after he and two members of his entourage got into a street brawl.

Although he avoided a long jail sentence, his case attracted widespread attention from President Donald Trump, reality TV star Kim Kardashian and singer Rod Stewart, who all called on Swedish authorities to release him, claiming he had been treated unfairly.

While A$AP Rocky had early success with his rap albums in 2013 and 2015, he hasn’t released much music since. But he has managed to remain in the spotlight and will star alongside Denzel Washington in movie director Spike Lee’s “Highest 2 Lowest” later this year.