Kelsey Harris, Megan Thee Stallion’s former best friend, took the stand as a witness in Tory Lanez’s felony assault trial on Wednesday.
Prosecutors revealed she gave a bombshell recorded interview in September in which she claimed Lanez threatened to shoot her inside a Cadillac Escalade before allegedly opening fire on Megan.
In Harris’ combative testimony, the prosecution played clips from the interview while she confirmed that she had given the detailed statement three months earlier but insisted that the damaging account was “not accurate” and that she had lied to “protect” herself on that particular day.
Harris testified that she could no longer remember Lanez making the alleged threat inside the SUV or seeing him brandish a gun or shoot Megan during a fight fueled by alcohol on July 12, 2020.
Harris was heard telling the prosecution during a segment of the recording that was played to the jury that Lanez allegedly said, “I’ll shoot you,” and then “reached like he was going to grab something” from the center console of the SUV.
When Deputy District Attorney Kathy Ta asked the 27-year-old to describe the alleged threat for the jury, she remained silent and said, “Some of those things I stated, they were not accurate.” Harris acknowledged making the statement during the September sit-down interview.
“The night was a blur. We were under the influence,” she said on the witness stand.
Harris turned around once more and denied seeing the shooting when confronted by the prosecution with her recorded statement that she saw Lanez “aiming the gun straight but always in a downward direction toward Megan.”
She claimed that she found it challenging to remember specifics and even focus on the questions of her direct examination on Wednesday due to a combination of anxiety, postpartum issues, and grief related to the death of a close family member.
She nonetheless maintained that it was absurd for the defense to assert that she shot Megan during the roadside altercation fight two years prior, striking the “Savage” rapper in both feet.
“I mean, it’s ridiculous. It’s ridiculous,” Harris testified in the courtroom in downtown Los Angeles — a day after Megan told jurors she saw Lanez point the gun at her and fire.
Because Harris is the only other close-proximity eyewitness to the events leading up to the shooting who has been confirmed to testify at the trial besides Megan herself, Harris was anticipated to be a key witness in the high-profile case. She would support the assertion that Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, was the triggerman, the prosecution said during opening statements.
She was viewed as a wildcard before the trial because, despite their former seven-year friendship, she has grown distant from Megan and has been noticeably quiet for the past two years.
“I don’t care to be here today,” Harris told Ta minutes into her examination. She called the trial a “triggering situation,” saying she’s suffering from “anxiety” and dealing with the birth of a child and a recent death. “I just don’t want to be here.”
“She’s painted the picture that I betrayed her, she’s painted the picture that I’m this bad person, bad friend, that I took hush money. There are many lies,” she testified, taking aim at Meghan.