A$AP Rocky Faces Trial for Alleged Gunfire Incident

Jury selection is set to commence Tuesday in the high-profile trial of A$AP Rocky, who faces charges that could lead to decades in prison if he is convicted. The 36-year-old artist has pleaded not guilty to two charges of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. His accuser, Terell Ephron, claims that a dispute between the once-close friends culminated in an alleged shooting incident in Hollywood on November 6, 2021.

Superior Court Judge Mark Arnold intends to expedite jury selection and says he will advise the jury that regardless of who a defendant is, whether they're the richest person in the world or the poorest person, everybody is to be treated the same," he said at a pretrial hearing. In a 2023 hearing, another judge found there was sufficient evidence for Rocky's trial; Ephron had testified that bullets grazed his knuckles during the confrontation. Opening statements could begin as early as Wednesday.

A$AP Rocky remains a prominent figure in the entertainment industry, with a chair position at the upcoming Met Gala and a major film role directed by Spike Lee. Meanwhile, speculation surrounds whether his partner, Rihanna, will attend the trial for moral support, though his attorney suggests that may be unlikely. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)