CELEBRITY JUSTICE ™

One of the ballistics reports used to determine who shot who in the moments leading up to Breonna Taylor's death appears to contradict the Kentucky AG's version of events -- or at the very least, offer a more complete view ... which is mired in uncertainty.

Reports say that the first ballistics report conducted by the Kentucky State Police -- first obtained by VICE News this week -- could not definitively say for a fact if the 9-mm bullet that struck LMPD Officer Mattingly was, in fact, from Breonna's BF, Kenneth Walker.

In relation to the bullet that went through Mattingly's leg -- which he asserted had come from Walker firing from down the hall -- the initial KSP report reportedly says, in part, "due to limited markings of comparative value, [the] item was neither identified nor eliminated as having been fired from #45." #45 pertains to the magazine in Walker's gun.

Even more damning is the fact that one of Walker's attorneys, Steven Romines, recently claimed to CNN that he and his team had obtained an internal LMPD personnel record showing Officer Hankison (who was firing from outside) had actually been issued a 9-mm handgun at some point by the department, casting doubt on AG Cameron's claim that all the officers were using .40 caliber guns that night, and that Walker had the only 9-mm.

So, what does this all mean??? Basically, that AG Cameron might've possibly not been as forthcoming in describing the ballistics report's findings -- or which ballistics report he was actually referring to when saying evidence showed that Walker had hit Mattingly first.

Remember, there was a second ballistics report conducted by the FBI -- one which, in addition to the KSP ballistics report, was given to the grand jury to read -- but Cameron didn't say during his Wednesday presser which report he consulted when explaining the decision. It's also unclear what the feds concluded on this issue, and if there's a discrepancy.

The one thing that could make this moot -- namely, whether Mattingly was hit by Walker's bullet, or a fellow officer's bullet -- is the fact Walker admitted to firing a warning shot ... which, presumably, would authorize officers to use deadly force and return fire regardless.

California Governor Gavin Newsom just signed a new law allowing transgender prisoners in the State to be housed based on their gender identity rather than their biological sex.

Newsom signed SB 132 Saturday -- among other LGBTQ+-friendly legislation -- which will require the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's officers to privately ask inmates during the intake process if they identify as trans, nonbinary or intersex.

If they do, the inmate can then be placed in a facility in which they feel most comfortable and safe.

The new CA law says an inmate's request cannot be denied based solely on a prisoner's anatomy, sexual orientation or another factor that may be present among other inmates at any given facility. What the state could deny a request over ... legit "management or security concerns," although Newsom didn't lay out exactly what that might mean.

If an inmate's request is denied, the state has to offer a written explanation as to why and offer that prisoner a meaningful opportunity to object. BTW, the law also requires prison guards to address inmates by their preferred pronouns and to search them based on their gender identities as well. It's being hailed as a step forward in the LGBTQ+ community.

Of course ... there've been concerns raised about this new system, as some feel cis-gender heterosexual males can abuse the new policy to infiltrate female prisons ... and commit atrocities from the inside. However, the state senator who authored the bill, Scott Wiener, says he doubts that'll happen very often, if at all ... saying it's a false narrative that trans men or women are only out to get into certain gendered wings.

The crime scene left behind after Breonna Taylor was shot and killed in her own apartment was a show of chaos ... so it seems from the first body cam footage released that shows the aftermath.

VICE News just posted two brief clips from hours of body camera footage they obtained from responding SWAT team members and other officers from LMPD. They showed up immediately after the deadly shooting March 13 that left Breonna dead in her apartment.

The two videos -- as well as other footage VICE will presumably release -- depict the moments after officers Hankison, Cosgrove and Mattingly fired dozens of rounds into Breonna's unit, and both are disturbing.

The first video shows what VICE says is Kenneth Walker -- Breonna's boyfriend -- being screamed at by a cop who threatened to sic a K-9 unit on him, telling him to get on his knees and not to look back. Eventually, other officers arrive -- including Hankison himself, per VICE -- and they cuff Walker. VICE reports Hankison tells Walker in the video that he's going to jail forever, but the clip they posted cuts out before any such thing can be clearly heard.

The second video shows perhaps an even more unsettling sight -- VICE reports it's Hankison again here (the cop who fired from outside the apartment) walking into Breonna's apartment after SWAT members had gone in to start investigating. He asks if any of the rounds were theirs, and seemingly tries having his run of the place before one SWAT officer tells him to scram, as it's an active crime scene and as such he shouldn't be roaming around unescorted.

In this second video, you also see the inside of Breonna's apartment ... including the hallway she and her boyfriend were apparently fired upon as Mattingly and Cosgrove first entered.

Speaking of not being escorted, VICE reports from the 40 hours-plus of footage they've scoured ... this is a trend they've seen. Namely, the seven officers directly involved in the raid -- including Hankison and Cosgrove -- were NOT separated or paired with another officer ... basically, getting them the hell away from there, which is LMPD policy. Instead several of them reportedly stayed on scene, and even conducted witness interviews ... this per VICE.

A Missouri cop claims a guy broke his hand ... with none other than his face -- and now, a judge has allowed the case to move forward with an assault charge against the dude.

Ozark PD officer Trevor Spencer testified last week that back in December of 2019, a traffic stop in which he pulled over 48-year-old Matthew Calhoun turned in an unavoidable beatdown (on the cop's end), which left his hand crumpled after pounding the guy's mug.

Yes, that's right ... Spencer says he had no choice but to defend himself and wail on Calhoun's face, which left his hand busted. He's alleging assault against an officer as a result.

If that sounds insane to you, you're not the only one -- Calhoun's attorney argued against the absurdity of the charge at a hearing on it Tuesday ... reportedly saying, "Are we supposed to feel sorry for Officer Spencer because he broke his hand on my client's face?"

As for how this unfolded ... Spencer says he was stopping the guy for suspected speeding, when he realized there were warrants out for his arrest. Spencer says as he tried detaining Calhoun in a parking lot, a struggled ensued and because of Calhoun's alleged aggressive behavior, he was forced to slug a few times ... which he says ended in him being injured.

Wondering if Calhoun ever struck the cop? No, actually, according to prosecutors arguing on Spencer's behalf. What they claim he did do ... allegedly elbowed Spencer in the chest while trying to escape, and then allegedly balling up his fist before Spencer started swinging.

Actress Kirsten Storms is the complete opposite of #RelationshipGoals -- she's got a big fat lawsuit hanging over her head now because her BF skipped bail.

The actress, best known for the Disney Channel original movies, 'Zenon,' is being sued by American Contractors Indemnity -- an affiliate of Always Bail Bonds -- which claims it posted John Farrow's $30,000 bond in August 2017 ... but only after Kirsten agreed to be on the hook if he skipped town.

Well, wouldn't ya know it ... boyfriend of the year candidate, John, was MIA for a court appearance a month later ... according to the lawsuit. BTW, ole Johnny boy was arrested on a drug charge and the case is still ongoing.

Meanwhile, poor Kirsten's left holding the $30k bag ... as far as the bail bond company is concerned. The suit, obtained by TMZ, includes John's bond application and it shows Kirsten was more than just a loyal GF.

It describes Kirsten -- who has also appeared on "General Hospital" -- as Farrow's landlord and girlfriend. It's unclear if the relationship remains the same now ... but it doesn't really matter to Always Bail Bonds, which is suing for the $30k, plus a few hundred bucks in fees.

DaBaby's alleged beating victim says he's on the verge of possibly needing back surgery to fix nerve damage ... this according to the man's lawyer.

Anthony Werbin of Downtown L.A. Law Group is repping Cristofher Pocasangre, and tells TMZ his client's now suffering through structural damage to his back and spine ... on top of previously diagnosed nerve damage from the incident with the rapper.

The lawyer says Cristofher has unbearable pain on a daily basis since DaBaby allegedly put a beatdown on him in a Bev Hills hotel last December. He's also getting injections to his back to help ease the pain ... according to Werbin.

If Cris's pain continues, Werbin says he might need to get back surgery in the next couple of weeks.

We got a photo of the alleged injuries ... and though it looks minor on the outside, Werbin says the internal injuries are excruciating. On top of that, Pocasangre claims the incident took an emotional toll on him, saying he was embarrassed and humiliated after the video started circulating on social media.

To that point, Chris' lawyer says friends have been taunting Chris for not standing up for himself against DaBaby. Truth is ... he says he was scared when it all unfolded.

As we reported, Pocasangre sued the rapper -- who he says used to be his fave artist -- claiming DB went on a violent rage when he snapped a selfie with him.

Tory Lanez is making lots of enemies with his album release, slash denial about allegedly shooting Megan Thee Stallion ... because now he's also beefing with the boss.

Rick Ross and Tory exchanged jabs on social media Friday ... with Rick throwing the first punch by questioning the timing of Tory's new music, saying he thinks it shows a lack of respect for Black women.

Rick said Tory made a "poor decision" by ripping Megan the same week the cops who shot and killed Breonna Taylor were not charged with murder. Ross says it's not the way to address allegations about shooting a Black woman, and he reminds Lanez, "we gotta respect these sisters."

Tory just responded, saying he marched 9 days in a row protesting Breonna's death in Miami and didn't see RR in the streets once. He also rips Ross for plugging wine companies in his initial diss, saying Rick also made a "poor decision."

As you know, lots of people are coming at Tory right now ... before Ross, NBA player J.R. Smith called Lanez a "clown" and a "lil ass boy" in response to mentioning his name on the album, and KeKe Palmer's also pissed.

Adding fuel to the fire, TMZ broke the story ... Megan's team is accusing Tory's reps of orchestrating a smear campaign against her ... which Tory's camp denies.

Megan Thee Stallion's got more beef with Tory Lanez ... her camp is accusing him of launching a smear campaign against her as retaliation for her accusing him of shooting her.

Megan's team alleges Tory's camp is creating fake emails in an effort to plant false stories about MTS in the media. Her attorney, Alex Spiro, tells TMZ ... "We have been made aware of manipulated text messages and invented email accounts that have been disseminated to the media in a calculated attempt to peddle a false narrative about the events that occurred on July the 12th."

TMZ has received some of the allegedly doctored texts and emails to which Spiro is referring.

For instance, Megan's camp claims Tory's reps sent one to several media outlets posing as a promoter at LIV Nightclub in Miami. The email falsely claims her management at Roc Nation influenced the plaintiff in a lawsuit filed against Lanez, claiming the rapper went on a menacing attack in the club.

Roc Nation denies any involvement in that lawsuit.

Another email, from a phony Gmail account, pointed the media to a YouTube video of a man claiming to be Tory's ex-bodyguard, who said he'd never seen the rapper get violent with women. However, he also admitted he had no clue what happened with Megan, because he wasn't there the night of the shooting.

As you know ... Megan is adamant Tory pulled the trigger and shot her during the wee hours of July 12 after a night of partying in the Hollywood Hills.

Tory had been silent about the incident until he released new music last night. In the lyrics, he accuses her team of "framing" him for the shooting, and also questions whether Megan was even shot at all.

A rep for Tory says they "strongly deny sending emails or otherwise creating a false narrative. The only commentary which has been made on this topic was the creative output on the album. We are investigating who could be sending these false emails and intend to take action against them.”

As for the shooting investigation ... our sources say police have the bullet that was taken from Megan's foot -- and you'll recall, she posted pretty gruesome pics of her injuries.

Tory Lanez finally broke his silence about allegedly shooting Megan Thee Stallion, but only in song -- he dropped a new record that includes a full denial.

The rapper released a 17-track album Thursday night called "DayStar," and nearly every song seems to be about the altercation with Megan back in July when they were out partying with Kylie Jenner in the Hollywood Hills.

Megan has accused him of shooting her, but Tory's basically calling her a liar on his opening track, "Money Over Fallouts." The lyrics include, "How the f*** you get shot in your foot, don’t hit no bones or tendons?"

He continues ... "How the f*** your team is trying to pay me in some whole millions? / 
I just lost like 10 million dollars because this cold business
 / But I got like 10 million followers that’s gon' roll with me / 
Fans that support me because they know my heart."

Along with poking holes in Megan's account of what went down between them on July 12, he suggests she's been influenced to lie about him. On other tracks, he hints that he hopes to speak with Megan again and even reconcile ... but also that he's moved on with a new GF.

Tory's new album also addresses rumors Kylie was the reason he and Meg were fighting that night -- a theory Megan's firmly denied. Still, Tory raps, "Me and Kylie still off in the pool / We was chilling, kicking s**t was cool / Both of us didn’t know you was tripping / Even though I got a crush on Kylie, I woulda left with you if I knew you was dipping, for the simple reason / You invited me, but I can’t act like shawty didn’t excite me."

Earlier Thursday, Tory apologized to his fans for his silence and implied he'd be opening up about things at 9 PM PT -- when his album dropped. Many thought he'd own up to shooting her and apologize. He went in the other direction.

After weeks of speculation and uncertainty about what went down back in July before police swarmed Megan and Tory's SUV and she walked out with bloody feet ... Meg flat-out accused Tory of shooting her in an August 20 video, stating she was tired of the lies from his side.

Megan said the 2 of them -- along with her friend and Tory's driver -- were all arguing in the vehicle after leaving Kylie's house in the Hills after 4 AM, and she tried to get out and walk home. That's when she alleges Tory started shooting at her out the window, hitting her feet.

As we've reported ... Tory was arrested for possession of a concealed weapon -- a handgun was under his seat -- and Megan was taken to a hospital and treated for a "gunshot injury."

Though Tory's finally broken his silence publicly on the incident, TMZ previously learned he'd texted Megan an apology about 15 hours afterward, saying ... "I know u prolly never gone talk to me again, but I genuinely want u to know I'm sorry from the bottom of my heart."

Kodak Black is turning to Donald Trump for help ... he's begging the President to commute his prison sentence.

The rapper's attorneys, Bradford Cohen and Jonathan Schwartz, sent a petition to Trump, obtained by TMZ, asking the Prez to cut Kodak a break.

Kodak's camp has lots of reasons why Trump should commute his sentence ... Cohen points out Kodak was sentenced to 46 months behind bars in his federal gun case, and claims the average sentence for the same crime is 18 months.

As you know, Kodak's locked up in a maximum-security federal prison in Kentucky, but Cohen says it's not warranted ... he claims the Bureau of Prisons "erroneously" viewed Kodak as level 4 criminal history, paving the way for Kodak to be housed in a maximum-security facility. Cohen claims the judge only put Kodak at a level 2, which means he could be housed at a lower security prison.

Kodak's attorney's also argue he's being unfairly punished for assaulting a prison guard in Miami ... repeating their earlier claim that Kodak was set up and possibly drugged.

KB's legal team also claims he was punished twice for the incident with the guard in Miami ... Cohen says Kodak was only supposed to get a 6-month sentence, but instead ended up with year-long punishment, which has kept him in total lockdown since last September, resulting in no phone calls or visits from anyone but his attorneys.

Trump's also being asked to consider abuse Kodak's allegedly suffering in prison -- beatings at the hands of guards, religious suppression and mental abuse.

As we first told you ... Kodak's suing the Federal Bureau of Prisons for alleged torture and denial of access to a rabbi, which his attorney's claim is a violation of his constitutional rights.

Kodak's also hoping his good deeds go a long way toward swaying Trump ... Cohen cites the hundreds of thousands of dollars he's donated to charities over the years, including playing Santa, gift cards at Christmas, donations to underprivileged youth, helping folks in his neighborhood and paying for children's education.

It seems like a long shot, but there's this ... Cohen may have an in with Trump.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez doesn't believe justice was served for Breonna Taylor -- not only that, she says politics were unnecessarily brought in by the Kentucky Attorney General.

We got AOC Wednesday on Capitol Hill, shortly after the grand jury charges were unveiled ... just one officer involved in Breonna's death was charged with the unrelated crime of recklessly shooting into a different apartment unit.

AOC can't fathom how everyone basically skated on this. She says the results speak to systemic issues in LMPD, and larger ones about policing in this country -- as far as what cops are allowed to get away with ... often with the help of prosecutors.

Kentucky AG Daniel Cameron gets the bulk of her criticism here -- watch ... she goes off on him for what she believes was politicization of the case when he spoke at this year's RNC. The guy knew the spotlight was on him, and in AOC's eyes ... it was bad form.

She says quite pointedly somebody being killed and getting to the bottom of it shouldn't matter if people are on the right or the left -- but with what's true and righteous. While AG Cameron says he was impartial and stuck to the facts ... AOC just doesn't buy it.

The Jacob Blake investigation is nearing its end, but before it crosses the finish line, a neutral third party has been looped in -- a former cop -- something a Blake family member is none too pleased about.

Jacob's uncle, Justin Blake, tells TMZ ... he feels the news about DOJ investigators bringing in former the Madison, WI police chief as a consultant in the probe is an open-palmed slap in the face.

Fact is ... he believes the so-called impartial second set of eyes announced this week, Noble Wray, can't be impartial. Justin believes he simply can't help but be biased against Jacob.

Wray is a retired chief who was on the force in Madison for years, a Wisconsin native ... and even has experience in legal consulting on the biggest stage. He served as a police reform specialist for the U.S. Department of Justice. But, Justin doesn't think Wray's accomplishments matter, because he says it's simply impossible for ANY law enforcement officer -- especially a former police chief -- to objectively reach conclusions about police brutality.

Justin favors putting a judge or even a politician in place of Wray.

ICYMI ... Wisconsin AG Josh Kaul and Kenosha County D.A. Michael Gravely said Monday they were going to have Wray -- who's African-American -- give a thorough review of the feds' DCI unit's findings in the case, offer up his analysis ... and then kick all of that back to Graveley's office for consideration on possible charges against Rusten Sheskey, and maybe others.

The process has dragged on for a month now -- the timeline the AG first gave to the public initially -- and now, it might be even longer before a final decision is made. The fact it's taken this long also irks Justin, who tells us he's been wanting more consistent updates.

If the "Toy Story 4" character Duke Caboom reminded you of Evel Knievel, you're not alone -- the folks in charge of his image and likeness thought so too ... and now they're suing.

A company called K&K Promotions just filed suit against Disney, Pixar and whole a bunch of their subsidiaries ... claiming the stuntman driver toy that Keanu Reeves voiced in the latest 'Toy Story' flick is a clear and obvious rip-off of the legendary American motorcycle daredevil.

More importantly, K&K claims they own all the rights to Evel Knievel's likeness, persona, and brand and says the Mouse House did NOT get any type of approval to base one of their characters after Evel.

If you've seen the movie ... this one's easy to spot as far as the similarities go -- and it would appear critics and other junket interviewers thought so too, according to the lawsuit.

Per the docs, obtained by TMZ, K&K say that Evel's style, influence and even a nod to his famous stunt cycle toy from the '70s is clearly sprinkled throughout the film -- of course, Duke himself is dubbed as the greatest Canadian stuntman, and he even comes with an energizer to wind up and release his bike ... much like the Evel toy from back in the day. They attached photos ... it's a thing.

K&K even allege Disney instructed its 'T4' cast and other people involved in the production to go out of their way to avoid using Evel's name during interviews, as well as other trademarked items. For example, they claim Tony Hale was doing mental gymnastics in an interview about why they called his character Forky, when he looks more like a Spork.

According to K&K, it's because Disney was worried about running afoul of existing trademarks for the term "spork" ... and tried getting around using it, but still kinda used it in the end -- sorta like K&K claims they did with Evel.

Of course, there's also the merchandise aspect -- K&K say Disney cranked out a ton of products from "Toy Story 4," including Duke Caboom toys, and made lots of cash from it.

Cardi B and her sister are getting sued after labeling a group of beachgoers as "racist MAGA supporters" ... this according to a lawsuit.

Peter Caliendo, Pauline Caliendo and Manuel Alarcon are suing the rapper, her sister, Hennessy Carolina, and Hennessy's GF, Michelle Diaz, claiming they defamed them by labeling them as racist during a squabble at the Hamptons earlier this month.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, the plaintiffs claim they were enjoying their time at Smith Point beach with their families when Hennessy approached them with rage ... spitting, insulting and threatening them just because one of them was wearing a MAGA hat.

At the time, Cardi tweeted a video of the altercation ... saying her sister was getting harassed because she and her friend are an Afro-Hispanic gay couple.

The group also claims Cardi B, Hennessy and Michelle edited the video and posted it on social media to falsely paint them as racists. Cardi had posted a video later that day with audio apparently showing Hennessy explaining that someone in the group told her to go back to her country.

Hennessy's side of the story was they were targeted because they "saw us parking here and we were speaking Spanish and we're mixed."

R. Kelly's renewed plea to get sprung from jail is getting push back from Uncle Sam, who says his most recent concern -- getting attacked behind bars -- has been neutralized.

Federal prosecutors just filed a reply to R. Kelly's latest request to be released on bail after he was ambushed and beaten by a fellow Chicago MCC inmate ... a guy Kelly says could've cost him his life. The government's response? Relax, it was a one-and-done.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, the feds say the attack on R. Kelly was a one-time, isolated event -- and that it can't happen again, at least not with the same guy ... because he's been moved to a new facility in Michigan.

So, in their eyes, the threat has left the building.

The feds also dispute R. Kelly's claim the attacker allegedly told a doctor on site that he needed to attack the singer for attention on his own case -- claiming the doctor denied that convo ever happened. That said, they also point out that if R. Kelly's still sour about his injuries ... he can take it up in civil court.

An autistic teen was shot by police in Utah, leaving him seriously injured ... and cops are now releasing the body cam footage of the incident.

13-year-old Linden Cameron's mother called the cops earlier this month, saying he was having a breakdown -- brought on by Asperger's syndrome -- and she needed assistance managing the situation.

On the body cam, you see one cop confront Linden on a dark sidewalk as he tells him to get on the ground. The kid doesn't obey the orders at first, and officers eventually open fire.

Eleven shots are heard on video -- it's unclear how many struck Linden, but he immediately went down and writhed in pain. He also seems to say "I don't feel good" and "Tell my mom I love her." Somehow, he survived the ordeal and was hospitalized.

Linden's mother had reportedly told cops he was easily triggered by law enforcement and that he may have had a BB gun, but she didn't think it was real. Cops allegedly told her they'd have to treat it like it was real.