A$AP Rocky must stand trial on charges of firing gun at former friend
A$AP Rocky will stand trial over charges that he fired a gun at his former friend and collaborator in 2021, a US judge has ruled.The decision was reached Monday (November 20) during the second day of a preliminary hearing which Rocky, real name Rakim Mayers, attended.Prosecutors say that Rocky pointed and fired a handgun at Terell Ephron on the street near the W Hotel Hollywood in November 2021, after being “lured” there to discuss a disagreement.Ephron, who was part of A$AP Mob under the stage name A$AP Relli alongside A$AP Rocky, also alleges separately that he is the victim of assault and battery, negligence and emotional distress, according to BBC.The rapper has pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. He could face up to nine years in prison if found guilty.Reports emerged in April of last year that Rocky had been arrested in connection with the alleged shooting.The Harlem rapper arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on a private plane from Barbados after visiting his girlfriend Rihanna – with whom he shares two sons – when he was detained by law enforcement officials.Superior court judge ML Villar said “the totality of the video and testimony” shows there is enough evidence for the case to go to trial, per The Guardian.“We’re not disappointed, not surprised, we expected to go to trial, we’ve been planning for trial all along,” A$AP Rocky’s attorney, Joe Tacopina, said outside court.