Rapper A$AP Rocky has been found not guilty in the shooting death of an ex-friend.

A Los Angeles jury has acquitted musician Rakim Meyers of two felony assault charges that could have carried a maximum sentence of 24 years in prison.

The Grammy-nominated hip-hop star shot himself in the fingers with a single gunshot during an altercation on a Hollywood street on November 6, 2021, according to Terrell Efron.

Meyers, a fashion mogul and longtime partner of pop star Rihanna, has denied the allegations, arguing that the weapon was a prop gun and that his ex-friend, whom he calls A$AP Reilly, was after money.

As the first not guilty verdict was read on Tuesday, the courtroom erupted in cheers and applause. Mr. Meyers ran toward his family and Rihanna, who was sitting behind him. He jumped over a wooden barrier to hug them.

Rihanna has been in court repeatedly during the trial and brought their two sons, RZA, two, and Wright, one, to Tuesday’s verdict.

Mr. Meyers hugged his lawyers and appeared to be in tears as the second not guilty verdict was read.

“Thank God for saving my life,” Mr. Meyers said loudly. He thanked the 12-member jury.

The rapper was arrested on two counts of assault after a heated argument with his ex-boyfriend in the heart of Hollywood.

Mr. Meyers and Mr. Efron had known each other since high school in New York and were part of the hip-hop collective A$AP Mob.

Their friendship cooled as A$AP Rocky’s career took off.

Authorities said that on Nov. 6, 2021, a day after the couple had a disagreement over a section of the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame, Mr. Efron met Mr. Meyers outside a hotel.

An argument ensued.

Mr. Meyers allegedly pulled a gun from his waistband, pointed it at Mr. Efron and said, “I’m going to kill you right now.”

“He looked me in the eye and pointed the gun at me,” Mr. Efron testified.

Mr. Efron said he told the rapper to fire the weapon, but Mr. Meyers started to pull away. As he left, Mr. Efron followed him, shouting.

At this point, Mr. Meyers pulled out the gun again and fired several shots, one of which struck Mr. Efron in the fingers, prosecutors alleged.

Much of the trial hinged on whether the firearm in question was a harmless prop gun, as Mr. Meyers’ defense said, or a real weapon capable of causing harm, as Mr. Efron and prosecutors alleged.

Authorities have not recovered the weapon.

Jurors were able to watch some of the altercation, as parts of the shooting were captured on surveillance video, but no video evidence directly showed the shots being fired.

Mr. Efron brought shell casings that he said he had taken from the scene two days earlier to report the incident to authorities.

But police responding to reports of a shooting in the area found no shell casings. Mr. Efron, who said he returned with his girlfriend a few hours later, said he knew exactly where to look, but no surveillance footage corroborates his story.

He was not admitted to a hospital in Los Angeles and instead flew to New York for medical treatment.

Mr. Meyers’ lawyers suggested that Mr. Efron planted the shell casings to trap the rapper.

The trial was marked by emotional and combative exchanges, particularly when Mr. Efron, the trial’s star witness, took the stand.

At one point, Mr. Efron called Mr. Tacopina, one of Mr. Meyers’ defense lawyers, “annoying,” prompting a reprimand from the judge.

Another witness, A$AP Twelvyy, was questioned by prosecutors about a photo showing Mr. Meyers’ bed with the letters “AWGE” on the furniture.

When asked what that meant, Mr. Meyers unexpectedly interrupted the proceedings and shouted, “Don’t tell!” Mr. Twelvey ultimately declined to elaborate.

It is unusual for defendants to become angry during trials, especially in front of a jury.

However, it is unusual for a court to instruct a witness not to answer a prosecutor’s question during the cross-examination of a criminal suspect in a trial.

The rapper is set to release his first solo album in nearly a decade and is set to co-headline the Rolling Loud festival in Los Angeles in March 2025.

In addition, he is set to star opposite Denzel Washington in Spike Lee’s upcoming film Highest 2 Lowest, which is due out in the coming months.