Los Angeles (California, USA), Feb 19 (LaPresse/AP) – Rapper A$AP Rocky has been acquitted of the charge of shooting a former friend, A$AP Relli, with a gun on a Hollywood street on 6 November 2021. The Los Angeles jury, after sitting for about three hours to deliberate, decided to find the hip-hop star, who was facing two counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm, not guilty. If convicted, Rocky, 36, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, would have faced up to 24 years in prison. ‘Thank you all for saving my life,’ the singer told the jurors as they left. Singing superstar Rihanna is his long-time partner and the mother of his two young children. At the reading of the verdict, the rapper threw himself into her arms. The Los Angeles courtroom, filled with fans of the hip-hop artist and Rihanna, erupted in cheers as Rocky leapt from the defence table to the stand where Rihanna was sitting between his mother and sister. The two embraced and cried.