Troy Ave took the stand on Monday at the Taxstone murder trial, where he recounted his life-or-death struggle with Taxstone over the gun that was later used to fatally shoot his bodyguard Ronald “Banga” McPhatter in 2016 at Irving Plaza during a T.I. concert. The rapper, whose real name is Roland Collins, testified that he chose to fight back when he was shot and wounded, stating that he would rather fight than flee, as “at that point, you could die.” He compared his fight with Taxstone over the gun to a high school wrestling match. He explained how he managed to get up despite getting shot in both legs and how he tried to shoot Taxstone as he fled, only to have the gun misfire.
Troy Ave was initially arrested for attempted murder, but the charges were dropped after surveillance footage showed he was the only one firing the gun, which was later found in the car he used to drive himself to the hospital. Taxstone was arrested after his DNA was found on the trigger of the gun. Troy Ave alleges that Taxstone threatened him by saying, “What’s poppin’?” before pulling out a gun from his waistband. The struggle ensued, and Troy Ave stayed by Banga’s side after realizing he had been shot.
In an Instagram post prior to his testimony, Ave expressed his desire to clear his name after almost seven years of being blamed for his friend’s death. He said that he took the accusations on the chin and drew strength from God, his children, and his fans, but it was time to get the false narrative off his name and the dark cloud off his head.
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