Taxtstone has been found guilty of shooting and killing of Troy Ave‘s bodyguard at Irving Plaza during a T.I. concert in 2016.
According ABC News, a grand jury found Tax (real name Darryl Campbell) guilty of manslaughter on Thursday (March 23) in connection to the 2016 shooting of BSB affiliate Ronald McPhatter, also known as Banga. Sentencing will take place in April.
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Troy Ave was set to perform at the event when a fight broke out between both camps, and gunfire was exchanged. In addition to McPhatter, the melee resulted in three other people being seriously injured, including Troy Ave, who received treatment for a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the leg.
Surveillance video emerged immediately after the shooting that showed Troy Ave firing a gun. He was apprehended and cuffed at NYU Langone Hospital, where he was receiving treatment for his gunshot wound. Later, the weapon used in the shooting was recovered in his vehicle. However, Troy maintained his innocence, claiming self-defense.
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In January 2017, Taxstone was arrested in connection to the incident and charged with one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and one count of receipt of a firearm in interstate commerce, after his DNA was reportedly found on the semiautomatic handgun used in the fatal shooting.
Ahead of Troy Ave’s testimony, the former Loud Speakers Network podcast host claimed that the rapper was a “lying bozo” and couldn’t wait to see him take the stand.
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Taking to Twitter earlier this month, Tax said: “Can’t wait for this delusional lying ass bozo to testify on Monday !!!,” insinuating that there is more to the story than meets the eye.
After catching wind of the accusation, Troy Ave responded by poking fun at the situation in a tweet of his very own.
“A call to action is crazy [laughing emoji] “I can’t wait” Said the person with nothing but time [skull emoji] …his friends cooked him [steak emoji] VERY WELL DONE! I might jus bring the dessert , wat kind y’all want [question mark, crying laughing face emoji],” he wrote alongside the hashtags “UnSafeTho” and “BeSmartTho.”
Following the back and forth on Twitter, and his subsequent testimony in court, Troy Ave dropped a new diss song aimed at Taxstone. Billed as a “Taxstone Diss,” “Black Church” was released last week with an accompanying music video that finds the Brooklyn rapper rhyming in front of a church.
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In the song, Troy reflects on his life and what he plans on doing now that he has taken the stand and shared his side of the 2016 Irving Plaza shooting that killed his bodyguard, Ronald “Banga” McPhatter.
“Opposition I ruin them/ There’s two sides, you gotta be safe in choosing them/ Ain’t have a safety on since then be smart, though/ When n-ggas dumping, Troy Ave ain’t scared of nothing/ He backed the gun, somehow I sent him running/ I got a lawsuit coming/ You took a life but look at the life this generation is bumming/ I wouldn’t wanna live like that/ Back to Live Nation and my $32 million, no tax,” he raps on the track.
