Young Thug and Birdman have been dismissed from a nearly decade-old civil lawsuit accusing them of involvement in the 2015 shooting of Lil Wayne's tour bus, after a Georgia judge found insufficient evidence connecting either rapper to the attack.
Judge Eric A. Brewton issued two orders Tuesday, November 10, 2026, dismissing claims against Young Thug, whose legal name is Jeffrey Williams, Birdman, whose legal name is Bryan Williams, and their respective labels, YSL and Cash Money Records. The lawsuit was filed in 2016 by Lil Wayne's former tour bus driver, Alvin Lewis, whose attorney says he plans to appeal.
Lewis alleged that Jimmy Winfrey, also known as Peewee Roscoe, fired shots at the bus while acting under the direction of Young Thug and Birdman. The shooting occurred on Interstate 285 in Atlanta after Lil Wayne performed at The Compound nightclub.
In his rulings, Brewton found no evidence establishing an employment relationship between Winfrey and either record label. He also rejected Lewis's allegation that Winfrey had served as Young Thug's tour manager in 2015, finding insufficient support for that claim.
The judge dismissed Lewis's theory that Birdman arranged the shooting in retaliation for Lil Wayne's legal dispute with Cash Money Records, describing the allegation as "pure speculation and conjecture."
Lewis had presented phone records showing calls between numbers associated with Birdman and Winfrey, including on the night of the shooting. Brewton found that the records did not establish who placed the calls, whether they were answered or what was discussed. Without that information, the records could not establish Birdman's participation in the attack.
Winfrey initially pleaded guilty in connection with the shooting in 2015, but the conviction was later overturned after an appellate court found that his plea was involuntary. He subsequently entered a separate guilty plea in 2024 during the YSL racketeering prosecution, in which authorities had cited the tour bus shooting among alleged criminal acts associated with the group.
The civil dismissals do not resolve the claims against Winfrey or Arnold Martinez, also known as YSL Duke. Both remain named in Lewis's lawsuit, which seeks damages for emotional harm arising from the shooting.
Lewis's attorney, Jeff Gewirtz, said Wednesday that he intends to challenge Brewton's decisions on appeal. Young Thug and Birdman have denied involvement in the shooting.
A court conference concerning the remaining claims is scheduled for February 2027, while Lewis's planned appeal could bring the dismissed claims back before a higher court.
