Troy Ave Testifies At Taxstone's Murder Trial

Troy Ave took the stand at Taxstone's murder trial for the killing of his bodyguard, Ronald "Banga" McPhatter, on Monday. Troy reportedly told the jury he and McPhatter were in the VIP section of Irving Plaza when they ran into Taxstone, with whom they had a longstanding feud. He explained that tensions were high as they introduced themselves.

"Banga turns around to me and says, 'I’m gonna rock him,' which means, 'I’m gonna hit him,'" Troy Ave testified. "And then I wink at him—I tell him, 'Do your thing.'" From there, Troy explained that Tax pulled out a gun and shot McPhatter. Troy then wrestled for the gun with Tax, which resulted in him being shot in the legs.

"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. I got up. I’d rather die fighting. People die from leg shots. I’d rather die fighting than laying on the ground. I got up immediately."

Before taking the stand, Troy shared a photo of Jay-Z testifying in a 2021 lawsuit on Instagram. He captioned the picture: "To all my real ones that been riding with & for Me, today is the day I finally get to clear my name. It’s been almost 7 years since I lost one of my closest friends #RIPBANGA, 7 years of a narrative about it being my fault, 7 years of my character being assassinated all the while Trying to defend myself without saying much! I took it all on the chin, never complained about the stress even tho I felt it. Never complained about the pain even tho it hurt! Never shed a tear even tho my heart was crying! At my weakest points I drew strength from GOD! drew strength from my Children & drew strength from Yall but today."

[Via]