A$AP Rocky has a powerful ally on his side as he gears up to stand trial for a 2021 shooting: Al Sharpton.
The longtime civil rights activist called out the jury selection process in the case on Wednesday (January 22) after it was revealed that only four Black people had been selected as possible jurors.
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“It is absolutely ridiculous that the jury will be not fair and representative, so as to deprive A$AP Rocky of a fair trial,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
“When we have four (4) black people in the city of Los Angeles, out of one hundred and six (106) — and exactly zero (0) within the first thirty (30) possible candidates for the jury — something appears to be very wrong with the system.”
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Sharpton added: “I am monitoring this trial and challenging the Los Angeles District Attorney to ensure that fair and representative justice is afforded to A$AP Rocky […] as is his Constitutional right.”
Rocky and his legal team have not voiced any issues with jury selection themselves and the final jurors has not yet been finalized.
It has been brought to my attention, by the National Action Network Los Angeles office, that out of one hundred and six (106) people called to potentially sit as jurors in A$AP Rocky’s trial in Los Angeles, there are only 4 black people.
I have been closely in touch with A$AP…
— Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl) January 22, 2025
The rapper stands accused of shooting former friend and A$AP Mob member A$AP Relli (real name Terell Ephron) during a dispute in Hollywood in November 2021.
He has pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, and faces up to 24 years in prison if convicted.
Rocky recently turned down a plea deal that would have seen him be sentenced to three years’ probation, a seven-year suspended prison sentence and 180 days in county jail.
The fact that he rejected the plea was not a surprise as Rocky’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, previously said: “From our side, we have no interest in a settlement. My client has indicated he’s not willing to take anything.”
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Tacopina also recently revealed some elements of his defense for the upcoming trial, which is expected to last 15 days.
He said they have two witnesses who are ready to testify that the gun seen on security footage was a prop gun that Rocky carried “for security reasons.”
