A$AP Rocky discharged blank shots from a prop gun to defend a friend, according to his lawyer on the trial’s opening day. The rapper faces allegations of firing a weapon at Terell Ephron, a former childhood friend, with whom he reportedly had a falling out that escalated on November 6, 2021.
Jurors were presented with surveillance footage that the prosecution claimed clearly showed Rocky aiming a gun at Ephron outside a Hollywood parking garage. However, Rocky’s attorney, Joe Tacopina, contended in his opening statement that the video lacks significance without Ephron’s testimony, which he described as motivated by “jealousy, lies, and greed.” Tacopina emphasized, “This case rises or falls on his credibility,” asserting that the firearm was merely a “starter pistol” that fired blanks, which he claimed Ephron was aware of.
The prosecution’s first video depicted a physical altercation involving two men, with two others intervening. One individual, dressed in a black hoodie, brandished a gun but did not discharge it. Deputy District Attorney Paul Przelomiec stated, “The evidence in this case will show that the man in the black sweatshirt is the defendant, Rakim Mayers,” referring to Rocky’s legal name, and insisted that this evidence would remain uncontested.
Rocky has pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. Przelomiec informed jurors that the four men in the footage were all part of the A$AP Collective and had a history of friendship. He noted that Ephron anticipated a confrontation with Rocky but hoped for reconciliation. However, the situation escalated when Rocky brandished a gun, yet Ephron continued to pursue him, with Przelomiec stating, “In his state of mind, he never believed he was going to be shot.” The defense argued that Ephron was not afraid because he “knew that gun wasn’t real.”
Przelomiec presented a photo of Ephron’s bloodied knuckles, suggesting they might have resulted from the incident, although he deemed them irrelevant to the charges. Tacopina countered that Ephron was the aggressor and that Rocky fired blank shots from his prop gun to protect a fellow A$AP crew member, which led to Ephron’s injuries. He also pointed out that seven officers who searched the scene found no shell casings or weapon.
The trial follows Rocky’s rejection of a final plea deal from the prosecution.
