Rihanna and beau A$AP Rocky were seen stepping in LA separately on Thursday – as the rapper faces two felony counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm.
The singer, 35, who shares two sons with Rocky, 35, cut a glamorous figure during a night out at Hollywood’s San Vicente Bungalows – one day after her partner appeared in court to hear a former band member describe how the star nearly killed him in a hail of gunfire.
Rihanna wore a long camel coat, patterned jeans and a grey hoodie, teamed with snakeskin heels for her night out.
She failed to raise a smile as she chatted with friends – as Rocky faces up to eight years in jail if convicted.
Rocky stepped out solo on Thursday, clad in a denim jacket and jeans.
Outings: Rihanna and beau A$AP Rocky were seen stepping in LA separately on Thursday – as the rapper faces two felony counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm
The musician looked somber as he walked down the street amid his court case.
On Wednesday, Rocky, real name Rakim Mayers heard fellow A$AP Mob member Terell Ephron tell the court that Mayers, 35, threatened to kill him before firing at least four shots towards him on November 6, 2021.
Ephron told the preliminary hearing how their relationship deteriorated as Mayers’ career exploded and others in the group were left behind.
On the night of the shooting Mayers called him to a meeting at an LA hotel where they argued before Mayers pulled a gun on him, TMZ reported.
‘I’ll kill you right now,’ Ephron recalled him yelling as Mayers held a gun to his stomach, before firing a series of shots as he left the room.
One shot hit him in the hand but it was the following day before Ephron summoned up the courage to report the shooting and a warrant was issued for the rapper’s arrest.
Mayers was seized in April last year as he returned to LAX airport as he stepped off a private plane from Barbados where he had been on vacation with his then-pregnant girlfriend.
Officers were also seen outside of his LA home, smashing into the gate with a battering ram, before apparently raiding the property. Detectives seized multiple boxes of evidence from the house.
Tough time: Rihanna wore a long camel coat, patterned jeans and a grey hoodie, teamed with snakeskin heels for her night out
Outing: She failed to raise a smile as she chatted with friends – as Rocky faces up to eight years in jail if convicted
Night out: The mom of two looked typically stylish as she headed out
Stepping out: The star wore her blonde locks sleek and straight for her evening
Casual: Rocky was seen stepping out a day after his court appearance
With friends: The star enjoyed dinner with friends
On the move: Rocky surfaced Friday night in a highlighter green hoodie, heading off to CVS to run an errand
Rocky -appeared in Los Angeles Supreme Court on Wednesday to hear former friend Terell Ephron accuse him of shooting him in 2021
The couple left three-month-old Riot and 18-month-old RZA at home with a babysitter as they enjoyed a night out at Wally’s Beverly Hills on Saturday.
Rumors have been swirling about Rihanna’s plans for a comeback following her five year hiatus from the music industry.
It was alleged that the Grammy award-winning star has been planning a world tour for 2024/2025 after striking an eye-watering $39 million deal with Live Nation.
Along with her tour, the singer and songwriter is also said to have created two albums worth of new material.
A source said ‘Rihanna is quietly planning a comeback tour after signing with Live Nation.’
It was not until four months after his arrest that LA DA George Gascon decided that the charges were serious enough to press for felony status, rather than misdemeanor which would have meant only a maximum of one year jail time for each count.
‘Discharging a gun in a public place is a serious offense that could have ended with tragic consequences not only for the person targeted but also for innocent bystanders visiting Hollywood,’ said Gascon after announcing the charges.
‘My office conducted a thorough review not the evidence in this case and determined that the addition of a special firearm allegation was warranted.’
The rapper real name Rakim Mayers sat impassively through much of the hearing
Rapper A$AP Rocky has pleaded not guilty to two felony charges. The shooting occurred in November 2021, when his girlfriend, Rihanna, was four months pregnant
Terell Ephron told the court that Mayers shot him after calling him to a meeting in Hollywood
But the alleged attack on Ephron is not Mayers’ first run-in with the law.
The rapper was arrested in Sweden in 2019 after a fight broke out on the street between his entourage and two men.
Mayers was convicted of assault, issued a suspended prison sentence and required to may more than $1,000 in damages. He reportedly served a month in jail before his sentence was handed down.
The performer, raised in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood, was also charged with attempted murder at 16 years old.
Mayers, who started selling drugs during his youth, was reportedly bullied by an older man. He went to the alleged bully’s house to confront him and ended up firing a gun at him.
‘He tried to come at me in front of some ladies. And I was little. He was a little bit older than me,’ Mayers said two years ago, detailing the incident on Untold Stories of Hip-Hop.
The teen, who was carrying a gun for protection, believed his alleged bully was reaching for a weapon after their discussion went south. He claimed he never intended to shoot the man.
‘I just started letting off,’ Mayers said of the confrontation. ‘I ain’t wanted to hit him. They hit me with attempted murder at first, then it kept getting dropped down.’
Mayers was arrested shortly after the shooting and spent time at the city’s infamous jail on Rikers Island. However, due to his age and the nature of the incident, the attempted murder charges were reduced.
Rihanna and Mayers were initially linked in November 2020 after it was reported that they were seeing each other following the singer’s split from her ex-boyfriend, Hassan Jameel.
The rapper real name Rakim Mayers sat impassively through much of the hearing
The two had been acquainted ever since the early 2010s, when they began performing and touring with each other.
Rihanna and Mayers remained friends for much of the decade before People confirmed that they were officially dating in November 2020. The pair embarked on a romantic vacation to the singer’s native Barbados in December and the rapper spent Christmas with his girlfriend’s family.
Mayers first spoke about their relationship in May 2021 in a GQ interview, where he called the Barbados born singer ‘the love of his life.’
The Fashion Killa hitmaker – who has never been dogged with claims of infidelity in the past – said: ‘She amounts to probably, like, a million of the other ones…. I think when you know, you know. She’s the One.’
Mayers is currently free on a $500,000 bond and is due in court again on Thursday.