A$AP Rocky sat in court on the first day of his probable cause hearing as his former friend A$AP Relli testified that Rocky threatened to kill him before shooting him and fleeing the scene.
Rolling Stone reports video of the alleged shooting was played in the Los Angeles courtroom Wednesday (November 8) at a hearing to determine if there’s enough evidence to try the “Praise the Lord” hitmaker on two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm.
According to the outlet, things got so combative in the courtroom that the judge ordered a break in the afternoon for all parties to cool off.
A$AP Rocky denies the charges and believes the case is a shakedown attempt. Relli told the court he and Rocky had become estranged and claimed his former friend shot him in an armed ambush.
The grainy video does not depict the actual shooting, but it shows a group of men involved in an altercation on November 6, 2021.
Relli testified that he sent a text to Rocky days before the shooting, calling him “fake” for going back on his promise to pay for a friend’s funeral expenses. He sent other texts that went unanswered before Rocky finally replied on the evening of November 6, 2021.
They agreed to meet, and Relli claimed A$AP Rocky showed up with Illijah Ulanger, also known as A$AP Illz, and Jamel Phillips, also known as A$AP Twelvyy.
A$AP Relli Testified A$AP Rocky Told Him: “I’ll Kill You Right Now”
Relli testified Rocky pulled out a gun and said, “I’ll kill you right now,” to which he replied, “Shoot that s###. Why you brought a gun if you’re not going to use it? You don’t scare me.”
He continued saying, “I was talking a bunch of s###,” but denied getting physical. “I was letting [Rocky] know how much he failed everybody, because nobody else was brave enough to say how they feel about this man.”
Relli claims Rocky fired at him several times, with the first shot grazing his left hand before everyone fled the scene. He said he did not call 911 because he wanted to consult a lawyer first. He also said he only sought media attention for his hand when he returned to New York.
In the hours following the shooting, Relli claims he and Rocky exchanged text messages. He accused Rocky of trying to “set me up,” but his former friend told him to call the cops.
“Rel wtf why u telling people I shot at you,” A$AP Rocky wrote in one message. “Now u tryna extort n—-s talking bout i shot u n shot u 4 times…all types of nonsense,” he wrote in another. “Call the police… you weirdo.”
ASAP Rocky maintains his innocence. He pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm last year. He is currently free on a $550,000 bond. If found guilty, he could face up to nine years behind bars.
As he left court, Rocky told a reporter that he’s feeling “Good.”
A$AP Rocky leaving court today. #asaprocky pic.twitter.com/I71Q5wxVvD
— mrsawge (@mrsawge11) November 9, 2023