Troy Ave Suing Irving Plaza For Having Lax Security
Things have certainly gotten interesting in the aftermath of the shooting at Manhattan venue Irving Plaza this past May. Since the incident where one person was killed and three were injured, Live Nation cancelled a bunch of rap shows at the venue immediately after, NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton blamed rap for the shooting, they’ve tightened security to TSA levels of scrutiny (I know this from firsthand experience), and Brooklyn rapper Troy Ave (government name Roland Collins) probably got the most media attention in his mediocre career when he was indicted on an attempted murder charge and two felony weapons charges.
Collins was also shot himself, and is looking to sue Irving Plaza for allowing a gun into the venue, according to a draft of the complaint. Now ain’t that some grade-A hypocrisy? He’s set to announce the lawsuit this afternoon in a press conference outside of Irving Plaza. Scott Leemon, one of Collins’ lawyers, said he filed the lawsuit in the Manhattan Supreme Court today, according to DNA Info. The rapper, who’s out on $500,000 bail, claims in the lawsuit that neither he nor anyone in his entourage brought any weapons into the venue, and any weapon recovered was brought in by am unnamed third party.
Police believe Troy Ave shot himself in the leg, with a bullet penetrating cleanly through one leg and hitting the other. NYPD also assert that Troy Ave was caught on surveillance video inside the venue shooting a gun into a crowd, and a gun that matched the one that shot and killed his close friend and bodyguard, Ronald McPhatter, was found in a hidden compartment in the vehicle that drove Troy Ave to the hospital.
The lawsuit claims that someone else shot the rapper as he entered the green room, and that person also shot and killed another person. The lawsuit also claims:
As a result of the incident, the plaintiff, a 30-year-old promising performer with his entire career ahead of him, has been left with disabling injuries which will forever affect his life, his career and his pursuits. The violence was preventable and could’ve been avoided if it weren’t for the negligence of the venue.
Troy Ave is seeking an undisclosed amount of damages, including legal fees.
UPDATE: NBC reports that New York hip-hop personality Daryl Campbell, aka Taxstone, has been arrested in connection with the shooting.