This is the bizarre moment a man who was shot by the rapper Blueface snapped a selfie with him after addressing the judge ahead of his sentencing.
Kentavious Traylor had been urging Judge Kathleen Delaney to hand down a tough sentence to Jonathan Porter – known by his stage name Blueface – after being shot by the 26-year-old at a strip club in Las Vegas last year.
At the end of his remarks at Clark County District Court, Traylor held up his phone and took a photo which captured his face and the rapper standing behind him.
Prosecutors initially charged Porter with attempted murder but a plea deal lowered the charges to battery and discharging a firearm at or into an occupied structure.
Delaney on Monday sentenced the hip-hop star to a maximum of three years of probation over shooting at Euphoric Gentlemen’s Club near Las Vegas Boulevard and Sunset Road in October 2022.
Kentavious Traylor claimed that he was attacked by associates of the rapper Blueface outside a Las Vegas strip club last year
Before the rapper’s sentencing, however, Traylor was seen taking a selfie with him. The photo later made its way onto the Internet
Blueface, born Johnathan Jamall Porter, was sentenced to three years’ probation after shooting at Traylor’s car in October 2022. A bullet grazed Traylor’s hand
Traylor snapped a photo with half his face obscured, making sure to get Porter and his attorneys in the shot
Blueface started shooting after Traylor allegedly made a joke and commented about him ‘speaking with some females in a cheap vehicle.’
A bullet grazed Traylor’s left hand.
In the bizarre courtroom footage, Traylor, wearing a purple t-shirt, raises his cellphone to snap a picture, then turns and ambles out of the courtroom while being escorted by an officer.
The photo was later posted online. Half of Traylor’s face is obscured – Porter and his attorney Lisa Rasmussen stand directly in the center of the shot with blank expressions on their faces.
‘I know people who get more time for stealing bubblegum, honestly. I know people who do more time for stealing TVs than they do for shooting somebody,’ Traylor said moments before snapping the selfie.
Rasmussen had mentioned earlier that Traylor was involved in a separate argument the same night the shooting occurred.
She claimed he flashed a firearm at a group of people ‘who he felt had aggrieved him in the fight,’ causing them to jump back. He then ‘sped into a group of people ended up hitting a woman and hitting other cars and then took off.’
According to Rasmussen, only then did Porter begin shooting.
‘While I’m not here to minimize it in any way – it’s dangerous, there is no doubt – but there is a lot from Mr. Traylor that led up to this,’ the attorney said.
Traylor had claimed that men he believed were part of Porter’s entourage hit him; then, as he tried to get away in his truck, the men started shooting at him.
He began his testimony by railing against the justice system, claiming that he was ‘completely disappointed in the process.’
Porter’s attorney said Traylor was involved in a separate argument the same night the shooting occurred, where he flashed a gun before driving into a group of people
He said he had ‘lost all faith in the justice system’ and was ‘completely disappointed in the process’
As part of his probation, Porter will have to avoid the Las Vegas Strip and the city’s downtown area, unless it is for work-related purposes
Traylor said: ‘This crime has done nothing but take a toll on my life since the day happened. I haven’t been able to get work – everything has gone down the drain.
‘I hate the way my name was ridiculed in the social media before I could even find out about it.’
He then commented: ‘I know people – I know, myself included, would have more than that for domestic violence.’
His remarks prompted Judge Kathleen Delaney to assure him that she was not giving Porter any breaks ‘because of his status.’
Traylor was then given the opportunity to stay in court for the sentencing, but he chose to leave.
He pulled out his phone, snapped the selfie, then turned to walk out, stone-faced.
Although the shooting occurred last October, Las Vegas police arrested Porter a month later.
Legal documents showed that he was charged with felony attempted murder with a deadly weapon. He faced an additional charge of discharging at/into an occupied structure.
His attorney, Kristina Wildeveld, noted ‘a strange moment’ during the hearing where Traylor took the infamous selfie and called it ‘a first in our our decades of litigation advocacy’
The attempted murder charge was eventually dropped as part of the plea deal, with Porter pleading guilty to the second charge – along with battery – in July.
Rules of Porter’s probation forbid alcohol or drugs, the possession weapons, or contacting Traylor.
He will have to avoid the Las Vegas Strip and the city’s downtown area, unless it is for work-related purposes.
Porter’s other attorney, Kristina Wildeveld, issued a statement reading, in part: “We were pleased that the Court followed the negotiations of the parties in this matter… Mr. Porter is ultimately just looking forward to getting back to focusing on his music career and moving forward with his life.’
She did note ‘a strange moment’ during the hearing.
‘The complaining witness raised his phone to take a selfie with Mr. Porter from the lectern as he was finishing his victim impact statement,’ she said.
‘That was a first for us in our decades of litigation advocacy.’
The rapper’s attorneys said he could earn a reduction to a gross misdemeanor charge after completing probation.
They also expect supervision to transfer to Los Angeles County, California.
Porter’s probation sentencing came just months after he was charged with felony robbery after grabbing a fan’s cellphone as she allegedly tried to film his ex-girlfriend, Chrisean Rock.
A status hearing in that case is set for October 4.
Content source – www.soundhealthandlastingwealth.com
