A$AP Rocky was found not guilty by a California jury of two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, stemming from a 2021 shooting incident with a former friend in Hollywood. The 36-year-old — legal name Rakim Athelston Mayers — faced more than 24 years in prison if he had been convicted.

Mayers was charged with two counts of felony assault on Aug. 15, 2022, after he was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport. The case centered on a 2021 shooting involving Rocky and a friend from high school, who goes by A$AP Relli. Attorneys for Rocky, the longtime partner of Rihanna, had argued the weapon was a prop gun that only fired blanks, which he obtained from a music video set and carried for security.

Their mutual friend and fellow crew member, A$AP Twelvyy, testified during the trial that Relli was the aggressor and Rocky fired the gun as a warning. Twelvyy also testified that Rocky had been carrying a starter pistol for protection for months and the gun fired blanks. Investigators found no weapons or ammunition on scene.

A$AP Rocky did not testify in the trial; after the verdict was announced, he expressed his appreciation to the jury, saying, “Thank y’all for saving my life.”

Prior to the trial, Rocky turned down a prosecution offer of just six months in jail, along with probation and other conditions, if he would plead guilty to one count.

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