Rapper Troy Ave and his lawyers are not willing to take full responsibility for the shootings that occurred during a concert held at Irving Plaza back in May. Though video footage proved the rapper's involvement, the lawsuit recently filed by his camp suggests that the other parties involved, the venue and promoter Live Nation, are just as responsible for failure to provide adequate security.
The T.I. concert that took place at the Manhattan venue Iriving Plaza on May 25 that left one man dead, and others injured after shots rang out from the V.I.P. greenroom, became even more puzzling when "Doo Doo" rapper Troy Ave was identified as one of the gunman.
NY Times reported surveillance taken that night captured the Brooklyn rapper, real name Roland Collins, staggering into a room with a loaded weapon surrounded by frightened concert-goers. They became even more frightened when the rapper fired his weapon twice before exiting the room.
Collins was jailed and recently released on $500,000 bond for his involvement in the shooting but, Scott Leemon, Collins' attorney, revealed during a Monday press conference that his client will not take sole responsibility for the May 25 tragedy.
As Pix11 reported, the 30-year-old rapper has filed a lawsuit against Irving Plaza and Live Nation for their poor security measures taken that night that allowed a firearm to enter the venue in the first place - which ultimately led to the shootings.
Leemon also claimed that the gun Collins fired in the video did not belong to him and was obtained after entering the venue, at the fault of the security staff provided by venue owner and promoter.
Though Collins was caught on video as one of the shooters, he too was a victim having been shot in the leg moments before he was seen staggering into the room and firing the weapon. Leemon suggested that security failed to properly check every person who entered the building that night because they came in through a back door.
"The security here did not pat down anyone who came in the back door that's the problem here," explained Leemon. "People that came in through the V.I.P. entrances in the back were not checked by security. If you come in the front door...everyone gets wanded and patted down. But people that came in the back, they were not - that's how a gun was brought in to this facility."
Though Collins remained silent for the duration of the press conference he did choose to finally speak when asked about his bodyguard, Ronald McPhatter, who was shot and killed that night.
"I'm going through a lot," stated Collins. "I just want to get my life back."
Here at Troy Ave's press conference announcing his lawsuit against Irving Plaza and Live Nation pic.twitter.com/JRZ6CjD4IG
— XXL Magazine (@XXL) August 8, 2016
© 2024 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
