Jury Finds A$AP Rocky Not Guilty In Shooting Trial

A jury comprised of seven women and five men found A$AP Rocky not guilty on two charges of assault with a semiautomatic firearm Tuesday.

The famous singer was accused of two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm in an alleged incident with former friend Terell Ephron, known publicly as A$AP Relli. Relli was a member of the A$AP crew of collaborators and claimed A$AP Rocky fired a gun at him outside a parking garage in Hollywood in November 2021. Ahead of the trial, A$AP Rocky refused a plea deal that may have resulted in a 180-day jail sentence in return for pleading guilty to one count. He faced up to 24 years in prison if found guilty and opted not to testify in his own defense, according to Sky News.

An image of a bullet shell is seen onscreen during Rakim Mayers, aka A$AP Rocky’s, felony assault trial at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles, California on January 29, 2025. 36-year-old A$AP Rocky, who has two children with singer Rihanna, faces two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm during confrontations with Terell Ephron on November 6, 2021. (Photo by Frazer Harrison / POOL / AFP) (Photo by FRAZER HARRISON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

A$AP Rocky, who shares two children with Rihanna, told Superior Judge Mark Arnold he talked his options over with his legal team and decided to invoke his Fifth Amendment right to silence.

“I want my right not to testify,” he told the court Tuesday, according to Sky News.

A$AP Rocky’s attorney, Joe Tacopina, previously said the star was “eager to tell his story” and would “love the opportunity to do so,” but the decision was ultimately made not to put the famous rapper through a possibly lengthy cross-examination. Such a move can be risky during criminal trials.

CLARKSTON, MI – SEPTEMBER 26: A$AP Rocky performs at DTE Energy Music Theater on September 26, 2015 in Clarkston, Michigan. (Photo by Scott Legato/Getty Images)

A$AP Relli told the court his relationship with the rapper had broken down and a disagreement allegedly led to the firing of a gun on the night in question, according to Sky News.

Jurors were shown surveillance footage prosecutors claimed showed the rapper firing a gun at Relli, but A$AP Rocky’s tour manager Lou Levin testified as a witness that the famous singer was known to possess a fake gun for security. The implement was allegedly a starter pistol. Levin claimed that the star’s residence had been broken into by a stalker and additional people, resulting in him carrying a fake gun.

“Security and I thought it would be a good idea, because of the prior violence,” Mr. Levin told the court. “It’s just a non-lethal form of self-defense.” (RELATED: Young Thug Released From Jail In History-Making Case)

Law enforcement did not retrieve the pistol they allege was employed in the altercation between the former friends.