Troy Ave

Troy Ave Testifies In Taxstone’s Murder Trial

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Several news reports have confirmed that Brooklyn rapper Troy Ave testified in incarcerated podcaster Taxstone’s murder trial, giving his testimony of what happened between the two Hip Hop personalities on that fateful night in 2016 following the shooting death of Troy Ave’s bodyguard.

Troy Ave, real name Roland Collins, told jurors on Monday that he would rather “die fighting” as his justification for fighting Taxstone, whose real name is  Daryl Campbell,According to this after being shot backstage at Irving Plaza.

“If it’s fight or flight I’m always going to fight because at that point you could die,” Collins said. “It looks like if you see people wrestle in high school wrestling — that type of position.” 

“When the shot goes off I see the light from the spark and I hear the shot,” he testified. “This is all happening fast. I get up and start fighting Taxstone, trying to take him, grab the gun, and another shot goes off. I put my leg up to kind of block the shot from hitting me in the face or chest.”

According to his testimony, Campbell then shot him in the legs. “I got up,” Collins said. “I’d rather die fighting. People die from leg shots. I’d rather die fighting than laying on the ground. I got up immediately.” As he described the chaotic scene, Collins said he saw his friend and bodyguard Ronald “Banga” McPhatter was laying on the floor face down. “I rolled his body over and I’m like, ‘Banga, get up. Come on.’ I’m smacking him, like, ‘C’mon bro. Get up,’” Collins testified. “And his eyes were rolling to the back of his head. His shirt was red so I could tell he got shot.”

Taxstone is currently on trial on murder, attempted murder, assault and weapons possession charges. He faces at least 20 years behind bars if convicted of these charges. TheSource.com will update this story as details develop.

The post Troy Ave Testifies In Taxstone’s Murder Trial appeared first on The Source.

Troy Ave Testifies About Shooting At Irving Plaza: ‘I’d Rather Die Fighting’

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Rapper Troy Ave took the stand at Taxstone’s murder trial to testify about the events that caused a fatal shootout at a 2016 concert at Irving Plaza in New York City.

According to the New York Post, Troy Ave finally had his day in court on Monday (March 13), testifying that he shot simply out of fight or flight response after Taxstone allegedly shot at him first.

He said there were about 100 people in the greenroom when he heard Tax yell, “What’s popping?” in what he perceived to be a “threatening” way.

“Banga turns around to me and says, ‘I’m gonna rock him,’ which means, ‘I’m gonna hit him,’” he testified. “And then I wink at him — I tell him, ‘Do your thing.’”

He alleges that’s when Tax reached for his gun and the melee began.

Detailing the gripping situation, he said, “When the shot goes off I see the light from the spark and I hear the shot. This is all happening fast. I get up and start fighting Taxstone, trying to take him, grab the gun, and another shot goes off. I put my leg up to kind of block the shot from hitting me in the face or chest.”

According to Troy, that’s when Tax shot him in both legs.

“If it’s fight or flight I’m always going to fight because at that point you could die,” Ave reportedly told the Manhattan Supreme Court. “I’d rather die fighting. People die from leg shots. I’d rather die fighting than laying on the ground.”

Troy Ave said he was then able to wrestle the gun out of Tax’s hands – but it then misfired and that’s when he noticed his bodyguard laying face down on the ground.

Ronald “Banga” McPhatter was pronounced dead in the aftermath. Two bystanders were also wounded.

Troy Ave was initially charged with attempted murder and gun possession for his role in the incident. While the Brooklyn-bred rapper was put behind bars at first, his legal team negotiated a one-year sentence — instead of the 15 years he could have faced — in exchange for his testimony at Tax’s trial.

Taxstone (real name Darryl Campbell) and Troy Ave had a history of beef that came to a head over when they ran into each other backstage at T.I.’s show. Troy— who said he wasn’t supposed to be there —was set to be an opening act. Tax was charged in January 2017 after police said they found his DNA on the gun used in the shooting.

He faces murder, attempted murder, assault and weapons possession charges.

The post Troy Ave Testifies About Shooting At Irving Plaza: ‘I’d Rather Die Fighting’ appeared first on The Source.

Troy Ave To Testify At Taxstone Murder Trial 6 Years Since Slaying Of Bodyguard At T.I. Concert

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Taxstone and Troy Ave

Taxstone’s murder trial is underway. He is accused of killing Troy Ave’s bodyguard, Ronald “Banga” McPhatter, at Irving Plaza amid the crossfire of his beef with Troy. Taxstone already pleaded guilty to gun possession, with sentencing expected to be decided after the trial. The Trial Underway Former rapper-turned-television and Twitter personality, Taxstone is facing a […]

The post Troy Ave To Testify At Taxstone Murder Trial 6 Years Since Slaying Of Bodyguard At T.I. Concert appeared first on SOHH.com.

Taxstone Trial Begins, Troy Ave To Testify

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After countless delays, Taxstone’s murder trial is finally underway. Daryl Campbell, known professionally as Taxstone, was caught in a shootout during a T.I. concert in New York City. Shots were fired at the venue, Irving Plaza, after the former rapper drew beef with Roland “Troy Ave” Collins. As a result, Troy Ave’s bodyguard Ronald “Banga” McPhatter was killed. While Taxstone has already pleaded guilty to gun possession, sentencing will be decided after the murder trial, according to HipHopDX.

Six years after his initial arrest, Taxstone takes to the courts again. The state has two cooperating witnesses with close ties to the case: Troy Ave and Malcolm Kinyon. The former is also charged with his connection to the murder and weapon possession, however, he signed a cooperation agreement with the Manhattan District’s Attorney Office. Kinyon, on the other hand, had no direct correlation to the murder scene. But Taxstone allegedly had confided to Kinyon after the incident. Kinyon is also under fire with the law with hefty drug and firearm trafficking charges.

Taxstone Trial Finally Underway

Last month, Troy Ave sat down with My Expert Opinion podcast host Math Hoffa to reflect on the ordeal. Despite his charges, Troy remains his story of acting in self-defense. CCTV footage reveals Troy firing a firearm, but according to Troy, that’s not the full story. He explained to Hoffa, “I mean you see a lot of n*ggas running, ducking for cover, and you know n*ggas that’s supposed to be standing around n*ggas they folded, I stood tall. It’s like you come in here you bought to do work, and before you walk in the door there’s a hater there blocking your way, and the hater killed your friend and tried to kill you, and everything is self-defense.”

Troy Ave continues to defend himself by revealing how his fight-or-flight spirit kicked in when he was threatened by a gun. He describes, “I’m not running… bullets in me. I’m gonna take the gun, I’m gonna beat you n*gga and I’m gonna blow at you, but what the media shows is me shooting.” Troy also recalls the moments when his bodyguard went down, “I really picked up my man body, n*gga. Like, I picked him up. All these n*ggas that was there… Maino was there, any n*gga there, they didn’t help me pick up Banga’s body, they walked past.” For the latest details on the Taxstone murder trial, be sure to check out HNHH!

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