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A$AP Rocky assault trial: Bravo reality TV star's son testifies; rapper's alleged shooting charges explained

Jan 25, 2025 11:07 AM IST

A$AP Rocky's assault trial in connection to an alleged shooting incident started this week. Reality TV star Erika Jayne's son was one of the first witnesses.

Thomas Zizzo, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika 'Jayne' Girardi's son, who is a cop affiliated with the Los Angeles Police Department, took the stand to testify as the first witness in A$AP Rocky's assault trial commencing this week.

RHOBH's Erika Jayne's son Thomas 'Tommy' Zizzo Jr was one of the witnesses to testify in A$AP Rocky's assault trial. (Instagram)
RHOBH's Erika Jayne's son Thomas 'Tommy' Zizzo Jr was one of the witnesses to testify in A$AP Rocky's assault trial. (Instagram)

In what has again turned out to be a small world yet again, the RHOBH star's son was one of the police officers who responded to the alleged 2021 shooting incident in which the rapper fired at his former friend. Zizzo has largely stayed out of the spotlight owing to his professional calling as a cop. Erika, too, has addressed not posting him a lot on her social media out of respect for his privacy. On the off chance though, the reality TV star posted a snap of Thomas 'Tommy' Zizzo Jr in full cop gear in 2020. The comments on the IG post have since remained turned off. Erika Jayne shares him with her first husband, Thomas Zizzo Sr.

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On Friday, Zizzo Jr detailed the events he witnessed on the scene of the alleged assault incident outside of a hotel in 2021, per TMZ. Joe Tacopina, Rocky's attorney, later told the tabloid outside the court that he was satisfied with the jury assigned to the case despite there not being a single Black person on the panel. He also expressed how eager he was to cross-examine Erika Jayne's son.

A$AP Rocky's opening defence in assault trial

During the hear, a prosecutor showed the jurors surveillance videos, arguing that Rocky did, in fact, fire a gun at his former childhood friend outside a parking garage in Hollywood.

However, Tacopina declared the footage meaningless in his opening defence statement, saying that the accuser's testimony held greater weight. Rocky's side has counter-accused the alleged victim of being driven by “jealousy, lies and greed," as the attorney asserted, “This case rises or falls on his credibility. The defendant's lawyer also pressed that the gun in question, which Rocky carried for protection, was a ”starter pistol" that only shot blanks.

Charges against the rapper who is in a relationship with Rihanna

A$AP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, is charged with firing a gun at an ex-pal A$AP Relli (Terell Ephron). He could be subjected to a 24-year prison sentence if convicted. In 2022, the rapper, who has two sons with Rihanna, pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm as he was accused of firing two gunshots at a fellow member of the onetime A$AP Mob rap collective.

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The November 6, 2021, incident took place in Los Angeles following Rocky's highly publicised trip to Barbados with then-pregnant girlfriend Rihanna. Upon his return to LAX, the rapper was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon. He eventually posted $550,000 bail. At the time, cops said that an argument between the "two acquaintances" resulted in Rocky firing a handgun at the victim. As the suspect, he initially fled the scene on foot with two other men. At least one bullet grazed the alleged victim's left hand.

A$AP Rocky pleaded not guilty and rejected a plea deal

The "Praise the Lord" hitmaker's trial began earlier this week. He promptly refuted a plea deal offering him 180 days behind bars, a seven-year suspended sentence, three years probation and 500 hours of community service. A source told TMZ that he turned it down, thinking how it cost him his livelihood.

"This would effectively end his career because he would lose all of his endorsement contracts, including Gucci, Puma, the Met Gala and, most important, he would not be able to tour and his career would be over," said the insider. "They would have him under their thumb for over 8 years."

The ongoing trial will last about three weeks.

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Catch every big hit, every wicket with Crickit, a one stop destination for Live Scores, Match Stats, Infographics & much more. Explore now!.

Get more updates from Bollywood, Taylor Swift, Hollywood, Music and Web Series along with Latest Entertainment News at Hindustan Times.
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