Rihanna made an appearance Wednesday in a Los Angeles courthouse in support of her boyfriend A$AP Rocky, who is on trial for allegedly firing a semiautomatic handgun at his former friend.
Rihanna, who was dressed in all black, sat in the gallery at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles, according to People. She sat between Rocky’s mother and sister.
Rihanna’s court appearance is the first time she has publicly shown support for Rocky since the case began. Her reps did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Last week, Rocky, born Rakim Athelaston Mayers, turned down a plea deal in which he would have served a seven-year suspended sentence, three years of probation and six months in jail in exchange for pleading guilty to one of his felony charges. Rocky declined that deal and pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he could face up to 24 years in prison.
In November 2021, Rocky allegedly fired a semi-automatic handgun at his former friend A$AP Relli during an altercation near the W Hotel in Hollywood. He was charged in August 2022 with two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm.
The prosecution and defense shared their opening statements Friday. According to People, Rocky’s lawyer argued that the rapper carries a prop gun to scare off threats and is also licensed to carry a gun in California. According to The New York Times, Rocky’s lawyer has argued that the prop gun is not capable of firing ammunition.
Rocky’s lawyer also argued that A$AP Relli created a “fabricated narrative.”
Deputy District Attorney Paul B. Przelomiec, however, said Relli showed up thinking he would just argue with Rocky and “repair their relationship.”
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“This is not a complicated case,” Przelomiec said, according to People. “The defense will turn in an alternative explanation to what happened that night … we ask that you do not leave your common sense at the door.”