A rapper accused of opening fire at a nightclub was the victim, despite video showing him shooting a gun as patrons ran for their lives, his lawyer said Monday.
Rapper Roland (Troy Ave) Collins, accused of attempted murder and of shooting himself in the leg, was wheeled into court to face charges in the Wild West melee between shows Wednesday at Irving Plaza nightclub in Union Square.
After ballistics tests, Collins’ charges could be upgraded to murder in the death of 30-year-old Ronald (Edgar) McPhatter. Collins pleaded not guilty, and was remanded without bail. The shooting happened at a T.I. concert, before the Atlanta-based rapper was set to take the stage.
Collins, 33, winced as officers helped him from a marked van into a wheelchair, where he sat throughout the proceeding, his right leg bandaged.
Prosecutors said Collins fired five times in a crowded venue with no concern about the consequences. In addition to McPhatter dying, two other people were wounded.
“This defendant is on video coming out of the VIP room where the individuals were shot,” said Assistant District Attorney Christine Keenan. “He had the gun in his hand and was seen firing that gun in the direction of fleeing patrons.”
Keenan said cops searched the van Collins took to the hospital and found three guns. Ballistics tests confirmed one of the guns was used at Irving Plaza, she said.
Collins, who was scheduled to perform at the show, was feuding with rapper Maino, who is based in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Maino had just left the stage when his rival fired at least five shots from a 9-mm. handgun in a green room above the stage, sources said. Video shows Collins barging into the backstage area just after 10 p.m. sporting a gold chain and opening fire as people scurried for cover.
Collins’ lawyers disputed Keenan’s interpretation.
“In the hip hop world, he’s not known as one of these troublemakers. He doesn’t live a gangster rap lifestyle,” said attorney John Stella.
“What really happened here is Mr. Collins here is the real victim,” said another Collins attorney, Scott Leemon. “The person who was killed at this event, he died a hero. He was his bodyguard. He wasn’t shot by Mr. Collins. He was a lifelong friend.”
He also said the video tells only part of the story. “This 11 seconds of video that the NYPD released, it doesn’t say what happened before, it doesn’t say what happened after. The scientific evidence will show he didn’t shoot himself.”
The victim’s brother, Shanduke McPhatter, shared a social media post Monday that said a man with outspoken podcaster TaxStone was the shooter. That person fired at Ronald McPhatter and Troy, and then dropped the gun, the post said.
Troy picked up the weapon and it was that gun he was firing in the cops’ video, the post claimed.