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NEW YORK (AP) -- Remy Ma went on trial for assault Monday, with a prosecutor claiming the rapper shot and almost killed a friend because she thought the woman had stolen money from her.

But a lawyer for the singer, whose real name is Remy Smith, said the July 14 shooting after a party in Greenwich Village was "a tragic accident.''

Smith, 26, is charged in Manhattan's state Supreme Court with first-degree assault and related charges in the shooting of Makeda Barnes Joseph, who was critically wounded.

Prosecutor Jason Berland said Smith, who accused Joseph of taking $2,000 from her purse, fired two .45-caliber slugs into Joseph's abdomen, then fled in a Cadillac Escalade and slammed into a parked car a few blocks away.

According to the prosecution, Smith abandoned her SUV and went to a friend's house in Harlem without ever calling police or for medical help.

Defense lawyer Ivan Fisher said the victim's story about the shooting had changed since she testified before a grand jury. He said the two women had struggled over the gun and it went off accidentally. Fisher said Joseph's story changed when her lawyer was preparing to file a $20 million lawsuit against the rapper. The lawsuit has since been withdrawn.

Smith has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is free on $250,000 bail. She could face up to 25 years in prison if convicted.

The rapper was nominated for a Grammy as part of the Terror Squad for the 2004 smash ``Lean Back.'' She has appeared on recordings with Busta Rhymes and Eminem.