A$AP Rocky kicked off the long-awaited protection in his gun attack trial Friday with a celebrity witness who says the alleged sufferer within the case, fellow A$AP Mob member A$AP Relli, was once the repeated aggressor all over the November 2021 taking pictures on the middle of the case.

Harlem rapper A$AP Twelvyy, born Jamel Phillips, additionally testified below oath that each he and Relli, born Terell Ephron, had been absolutely conscious that the gun Rocky fired all over the street-level scuffle only a block south of Hollywood Side road was once a starter pistol that didn’t fireplace reside ammunition.

“[Relli] advised him to shoot that fake-ass gun,” Phillips testified, giving his model of what took place after the events met outdoor the W Lodge, had an preliminary argument and Rocky was once stuck on surveillance video with a black gun in his hand. All through his personal trial testimony sooner than prosecutors formally rested their case Friday morning, Ephron claimed he by no means accused Rocky of getting a pretend gun. Ephron time and again mentioned he believed the gun was once actual and that he felt a sizzling sensation on his hand once the primary shot rang out. He claims he was once grazed by way of an actual bullet and has {a photograph} taken that evening appearing a linear harm below the knuckles of his left hand.  

Showing at the 9th day of trial, Phillips mentioned he went into the Nov. 6, 2021 incident with the working out that Rocky, born Rakim Mayers, carried a starter pistol as a deterrent as a result of he was once the sufferer of prior crimes, together with a stabbing in a New York membership, house invasions and stalking. Phillips mentioned he noticed Mayers with a starter pistol on 3 prior events. The primary time was once all over the video shoot for Mayers’ tune “D.M.B.,” he testified. The video, which closely options Rihanna, was once shot within the Bronx in July 2021. He mentioned the second one time was once in Harlem in September 2021, when he and Mayers met as much as get some meals, and the final time was once in Los Angeles, simply days sooner than the incident, he advised jurors.

In testimony that might end up vital, Phillips gave a visceral account of the instant he, Mayers and every other good friend named Illijah Ulanger, often referred to as A$AP Illz, exited their chauffeured car to catch up with Ephron the evening of the alleged taking pictures. Phillips mentioned he was once on the town to accomplish with Mayers at ComplexCon that week to rejoice the 10-year anniversary of Mayers’ debut combine tape Are living. Love. ASAP, which featured Phillips and different participants in their collective. In keeping with Phillips, he noticed Ephron strolling down the hill from Hollywood Blvd. and coming near them “with somewhat additional momentum.”

“Relli simply grabbed Rocky. Once he noticed him, he simply grabbed him,” Phillips testified. He mentioned Ephron was once shaking Mayers and looking to raise him off the bottom by way of his hoodie. He mentioned the lifting led to Mayers’ pants to fall, main Mayers to grasp what he described because the “prop gun” in his waistband. Underneath wondering by way of protection legal professional Joe Tacopina, Phillips mentioned Mayers grabbed the gun together with his left hand, which was once notable as a result of Mayers is right-handed.

Phillips mentioned each he and Ulanger were given in the midst of the preliminary argument and that Mayers walked away first. He claimed Ephron adopted them across the nook, taunting them. Calling Ephron’s demeanor “risky,” he mentioned Ephron berated them, calling Ulanger a “crackhead” and commenting that Phillips lived in “the initiatives.” He mentioned the outburst left him feeling perplexed and threatened.

In keeping with Phillips, Ephron became bodily once more once they were given to the intersection of Selma Ave. and Vista Del Mar Ave. He mentioned as Ulanger was once looking to calm Ephron down, Ephron punched Ulanger two occasions. He mentioned after the second one hit, Mayers fired the primary shot from the starter pistol, aiming it towards the bottom. Phillips mentioned he believes Mayers sought after “to scare Relli off,” and that the rapper fired a moment shot sooner than Phillips advised him to depart the scene for the reason that pictures and automotive alarms had been certain to draw consideration.  

Additionally on Friday, Mayers’ spouse, Rihanna, made her 5th look on the trial, showing within the hallway and giving Mayers an extended hug sooner than the couple walked again into the court with their hands round each and every different for the remainder of the afternoon consultation.

In but every other dramatic second, Tacopina walked Philips during the blurry surveillance video of the alleged taking pictures. This time, the 2 loud gunshot sounds taken from a distinct digicam within the house and synchronized with the visible of the incident began a moment later than they did within the video prosecutors used. The protection mentioned it adopted the similar method prosecutors used to overlap the audio, and that their model was once the extra correct one. The only-second prolong may just end up pivotal. In prosecutors’ model, the primary shot occurs sooner than the determine known as Ephron seems to come back involved with Ulanger. In his testimony, Ephron mentioned he grabbed Ulanger to make use of him as a “human defend.” Within the protection model proven Friday, the primary shot comes after Ephron’s determine collides with Ulanger. Phillips mentioned the protection model aligned together with his reminiscence, which means Mayers best fired his first “caution shot” after Ephron allegedly punched Ulanger.

Mayers, 36, has pleaded now not to blame to 2 counts of attack with a semi-automatic firearm. The primary depend comes to the preliminary conflict around the avenue from the W Lodge. The second one depend is for the alleged taking pictures. In his opening remark, Tacopina mentioned the proof would display Mayers carried the starter pistol as a “prop gun” at the recommendation of his safety. Any other protection witness is anticipated to testify that he additionally knew Mayers carried a starter pistol as a deterrent. If convicted as charged, Mayers is dealing with a most imaginable sentence of 24 years. Prosecutors up to now advised the courtroom they’d suggest 10 to twelve years.

All through his 5 days within the witness field, Ephron advised jurors he and Mayers agreed to satisfy that evening amid a fraying of their dating. He claimed Mayers walked up angrily, grabbed him by way of his collar, pulled out a black gun and threatened to kill him as they argued close to the parking storage. Ephron mentioned Mayers put the gun again into his waistband to keep away from attracting consideration and was once strolling away when Ephron allegedly spotted Phillips had a pocketknife. (Phillips denied Friday that he had a knife.)

Ephron admitted he began to apply Mayers, Phillips and Ulanger however mentioned it was once best to get some grievances off his chest. Recounting his model of the incident, Ephron mentioned he was once chatting with all 3 males when he accused Mayers of now not doing sufficient for the buddies who helped him early on in his occupation. “I’m simply verbally expressing my emotions. I simply had a gun pulled on me,” Ephron testified. “I’m feeling a large number of various things, however these days, I used to be simply mad.”

Police had been known as to the scene by way of a 911 caller who watched the incident from a rental balcony. The 4 males had been already long past when seven officials searched the realm and located no shell casings or proof of a taking pictures. Ephron says he returned later that evening and right away recovered two 9mm Luger spent cartridges. He in my opinion amassed the casings and held directly to them for 2 days sooner than handing them over to police. Police witnesses testified the casings had no fingerprints on them however had been in step with having been fired from an after-market slide recognized for use with a subset of weapons that comes with the Glock 43. All through a seek of Mayers’ space in April 2022, a Glock-brand 9mm mag was once present in his bed room closet. Tacopina has mentioned the mag belonged to somebody else, however both means, it was once loaded with a distinct model of bullets when it was once recovered.

In his opening, Tacopina mentioned the case was once “all a few cash grasp.” He mentioned Ephron sought after to extort his shopper and had filed a $30 million civil lawsuit. Ephron was once adamant all over his testimony that he was once telling the reality.

In a shocking second on Monday, Ephron advised the jury that whilst he to start with testified that video appearing him firing a semiautomatic weapon at a gun vary simply two weeks sooner than the Nov. 6 taking pictures was once surely now not filmed in Los Angeles, he did some “homework” over the weekend and learned it was once from the Los Angeles Gun Membership. He mentioned he’d forgotten he was once within the house for a trade assembly that week. The revelation may just lend a hand bolster the protection declare that Ephron fabricated the proof.

Underneath wondering by way of deputy district lawyer Paul Przelomiec, Ephron advised jurors he didn’t plant the rest. He mentioned that for 2 years after the alleged taking pictures, he persistently advised police he believed Mayers had fired 3 or 4 occasions. He mentioned it wasn’t till a probable-cause listening to in November 2023 that he first heard audio from the incident depicting best two loud pops. “If I planted, [I] would have introduced precisely what I mentioned,” he testified, which means he would have planted 3 or 4 casings. He best discovered two, he testified. “I by no means planted not anything,” he mentioned at the witness stand.