A non-profit group representing Tory Lanez claims fresh testimony from a bodyguard proves he didn’t shoot Megan Thee Stallion back in 2020.
During a press conference held by the non-profit Unite the People—which says it works to “promote social justice as well as provide affordable legal services for underserved communities” in California—they announced that new testimony could prove Lanez wasn’t the shooter. Tory Lanez is listed as an advisory member on the organization’s website. The group’s “lead consultant,” Walter Roberts, revealed he was approached by a man named Bradley James who claimed to have worked as a bodyguard for Kelsey Harris, Megan’s former friend who was present during the shooting.
“Mr. James informed us he was working as the bodyguard and driver for Ms. Kelsey Harris during Mr. Peterson’s trial,” Roberts stated at the press conference. “Mr. James informed us he was not under a non-disclosure agreement or a confidentiality agreement and was free to speak with Unite the People and that he was doing it because his conscience would not ler him not speak and leave a man in prison for something he did not do.”
Alex Spiro, Megan’s attorney, responded to Lanez’s lawyer’s claims about having evidence that Kelsey Harris—not the Canadian artist—shot Megan. “Tory Lanez was tried and convicted by a jury of his peers and his case was properly adjudicated through the court system,” Spiro said in a statement. “This is not a political matter — this is a case of a violent assault that was resolved in the court of law.”
Roberts alleged James told him he “witnessed” a conversation where Harris admitted having the gun during the incident and firing it three times. “[Tory Lanez] grabbed her arm and knicked it down, and the gun fired two more times,” Roberts added. “In essence, [he] never shot anybody, never even touched that gun, never fired that gun.” He also questioned why neither Kelsey Harris nor Jaquan Smith, who drove the vehicle that night, had their DNA collected.
Complex has reached out to Unite the People for comment.
Roberts claimed this newly discovered testimony aligns with what witness Sean Kelly, who testified at the trial, reported seeing that night. “He saw two women fighting, two men break up the fight,” he said. “One man grabbed the other one’s arm. Gunshots came from the passenger side. Passenger side is where Ms. Harris was sitting. This further iterates that [Tory Lanez] did not shoot [Megan Thee Stallion].”
Kelly testified seeing an unidentified woman fire the first shot, but that he witnessed a “smaller gentleman” fire “four or five subsequent shots in quick succession, causing a woman to fall to the ground bleeding,” according to Rolling Stone. “I want to be clear, I never saw a gun, okay, I just saw flashes,” he added. He also stated it “appeared” to him that the two men at the scene “were trying to kill” the shooting victim.
The press conference aimed to create urgency around Tory Lanez’s appeal process, with Unite the People indicating they’re pursuing either a pardon or sentence reduction from California’s governor.
They emphasized the situation’s urgency since Lanez was rushed to the hospital earlier this week after being stabbed in prison. A source from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation identified inmate Santino Casio, who’s serving life for murder, as the attacker.
