A new twist has emerged in the Tory Lanez case, as the rapper’s support team held a press conference on Wednesday, revealing fresh allegations from a former bodyguard who once worked for Kelsey Harris.
Tory Lanez’s team claims the answers lie with Kelsey Harris’s ex-bodyguard
Harris, the former best friend of Megan Thee Stallion, testified during the 2023 trial that led to Tory Lanez’s 10-year prison sentence for the 2020 shooting incident.
The press briefing, which took place while Lanez was recovering in hospital following a stabbing in prison, was led by Unite the People, a California-based legal advocacy group now representing Lanez in his appeal.
The group presented a statement from Bradley James, who claims to have worked as a bodyguard and driver for Kelsey Harris.
According to James, he overheard Harris confess to multiple people that she had fired the gun on the night Megan Thee Stallion was shot.
“She said she fired it three times, Tory tried to grab her arm, and the gun went off two more times,” James allegedly stated.
Unite the People insists James’ account matches the testimony of Sean Kelly, the sole non-party witness at the trial, who testified that he saw two women fighting, followed by gunfire coming from the passenger side of the car—where Harris was seated.
The organisation also questioned the forensic process, highlighting that while DNA from an unknown person was found on the firearm, Kelsey Harris’s DNA was never tested.
“Why wasn’t her DNA collected?” one spokesperson asked.
The evidence that convicted Tory Lanez
Lanez, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, was convicted on three felony counts, including assault with a semiautomatic firearm. Megan Thee Stallion, real name Megan Pete, testified that Lanez shot her after an argument in a car.
Prosecutors presented a text from Harris stating “Tory shot Meg” and a jail phone call where Lanez apologised.
The defence argued there was no direct physical evidence proving Lanez fired the weapon and pointed to inconsistencies in witness testimony.
They claimed Lanez’s DNA was not found on the magazine and was only weakly associated with the gun itself.
Lanez is currently recovering after being stabbed 14 times at the California Correctional Institution by inmate Santino Casio, a convicted murderer. Lanez sustained seven stab wounds to the back, four to the torso, two to the back of his head, and one to his face. Both lungs collapsed, but he is now breathing on his own.
Casio, who was previously denied parole for the murder of a 13-year-old girl and two attempted murders, is under investigation for the attack.
Giano Caldwell, a journalist and public safety advocate, accused the former Los Angeles District Attorney of politicising the case.
“Tory was railroaded,” Caldwell claimed, criticising the decision to grant immunity to Harris and questioning the fairness of the prosecution.
Unite the People announced they will formally ask Governor Gavin Newsom to either commute Lanez’s sentence or issue a full pardon.
“When he is discharged from hospital, we want him to go home, not back to prison,” said the organisation’s CEO, Cesar McDowell.
At the end of the media briefing, Lanez’s father led a public prayer, asking for divine intervention—and calling for the plea to reach President Donald Trump.
