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Rihanna has responded to A$AP Rocky being found not guilty in the trial for a past shooting incident.
Rocky – real name Rakim Athelaston Mayers – was found innocent on all counts by an LA jury yesterday (February 18) after being charged for allegedly firing a gun at his former friend A$AP Relli in Hollywood in 2021.
He faced 24 years in prison after turning down a plea deal for 180 days in jail. When the verdict was announced, Rocky’s rushed over to hug his partner Rihanna as the courtroom erupted with a loud roar.
According to the LA Times, Rocky thanked the jury for “saving my life” following the verdict, and added that they had “made the right decision”.
Rihanna – who appeared at several of the trial dates, but was not called in to testify – has since reacted to the news on social media.
Sharing a brief statement on her Instagram Stories, the ‘Umbrella’ pop star wrote: “The glory belongs to God and God alone! Thankful, humbled by his mercy! 🙏🏿” See the screenshot below.
Rihanna on her Instagram stories appearing to celebrate A$AP Rockys acquittal ♥️🙏
On the eve of her birthday 🥺#rihanna #rihannafans #rihannanavy #asaprocky #robyn #fenty #rihannafenty #rihannarobynfenty #smurfs #smurfette #SmurfsMovie pic.twitter.com/7DnEmVClzJ
— Boop 🧹🧹🧹 🕚2️⃣↩️🛠️🤖 🪩🪩🪩🪩 (@dayaslove99) February 19, 2025
A$AP Rocky hugs Rihanna after his Not Guilty verdict.
— Pop Base (@PopBase) February 19, 2025
Rihanna and Rocky after the verdict 🤍 pic.twitter.com/wmCJJAfx5K
— 𝖌𝖆𝖇 (@gabgonebad) February 19, 2025
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky met in 2012, and began a romantic relationship in 2020. The couple are not married, but share two children. They welcomed their second son in August 2023.
The almost-month-long trial began on January 24, with prosecutors arguing over evidence that Rocky pointed a gun at A$AP Relli – real name Terell Ephron – and fired, grazing the latter’s knuckles.
During the trial, prosecutors told jurors that Rocky had fired multiple shots from a 9mm semiautomatic pistol during the altercation in Hollywood in 2021.
His lawyer Joseph Tacopina said the rapper had admitted to pulling the trigger on a firearm he was carrying that night, and that he fired “two warning shots” from his “starter gun” to break up an alleged fight between Relli and A$AP Illz (real name Illijah Ulanger) – another member of their A$AP Mob collective.
He added that the weapon used that night was a “prop gun” from a music video he had filmed months earlier with Rihanna, described in the trial as his “life partner”. Due to the gun being a prop, there were no shell casings fired from the firearm.
As reported by Variety, a crucial turning point in the trial saw Ephron confirm that he was at a shooting range two weeks before the shooting incident. This allowed for Rocky’s lawyers to argue that the two shell casings he found at the crime scene – after police searches of the area came up empty – had been planted by Relli.
Speaking to reporters yesterday, Tacopina said A$AP Rocky was “very well loved” in LA. “I’ve been here for over a month and just me walking around… people were just wishing me luck for him,” he said.
“I mean, he’s loved very well, loved in the city… he’s got a lot of fans, and that doesn’t happen because he’s a singer. It happens because of who he is as a person. He does incredible charity work. He gives back to the community.”
He continued: “He’s become a dear friend of mine more than a client. And that’s why cases like this are really difficult for me because there’s so much on the line. I mean, I care about every client I represent to the point where they become family.
“This was at a different level. And so I was just not prepared for, I would not accept any other verb for this one.”
