Troy Ave Claims He's Victim in Deadly Irving Plaza Shooting (UPDATE)

Troy Ave appeared in criminal court and claimed he was a victim in the deadly shooting that took place at Irving Plaza.

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UPDATE 2:30PM: More details have emerged in the Irving Plaza shooting that left one dead and three injured as DNAinfo New York is reporting a gun found inside a secret compartment in the car that was used to drive Troy Ave to the hospital has been matched by investigators to the bullet that hit and killed BSBBanga. Three guns in all were found in the hidden compartment by the NYPD auto crime division.

While it's still unclear what happened that night, sources told DNAinfo New York that it had to do with "someone who covers the rap industry and gave Troy Ave a bad rap that started it all." This reportedly led to a brawl that included Troy Ave and Maino's entourages. From there, police believe Troy attempted to pull out his gun but the weapon accidently discharged and the bullet went through his foot as well as the wooden floor, hitting Christopher Vinson, 34, who was underneath the green room on the main floor. Troy then reportedly went in pursuit of Maino, firing off three or four shots in the room.

50 Cent has joined Meek Mill as another high-profile artist showing his support for Troy Ave. "Self Defiance, thats more like it now," he wrote on Instagram. "Hold ya head TROY. See how the story change."

UPDATE 5/31/16 1:30PM: According to PIX11, another shooter is being searched for in connection to the Irving Plaza shooting. Previously, it was believed that Troy Ave was the lone shooter last Wednesday night which resulted in three injured, including Troy, and one dead, BSBBanga. However, investigators say it may have been another man who shot both Troy and Banga.

New surveillance footage allegedly shows Troy limping out of the green room with blood stains on his pants. Also seen in the video is Banga. PIX11 sites a source who said Troy got into a physical altercation with another man who then pulled out a gun and shot the rapper in the leg and Banga in the stomach. From there, sources close to the investigation said Troy and the man wrestled for the gun, which led to another shot going off in Irving Plaza.

We'll continue to update this story as it develops.

See below for the original story published on 5/30.16.

Troy Ave (born: Roland Collins) appeared in criminal court in Manhattan Monday and pleaded not guilty to an attempted murder charge linked to the deadly shooting at Irving Plaza last Wednesday (May 25). During the hearing, Troy's lawyer, Scott Leemon, also claimed the Brooklyn rapper was a victim in the incident, according to New York Daily News

"What really happened here is Mr. Collins here is the real victim,” Leemon said. He also claimed Ronald "BSBBanga" McPhatter, a former member of Troy's entourage who was killed that night, was not shot by Troy. “The person who was killed at this event, he died a hero. He (McPhatter) was his bodyguard. He wasn't shot by Mr. Collins. He was a lifelong friend."

Leemon has a long history of defending rappers in legal proceedings, most notably 50 Cent and Jim Jones, the latter of which has used the ad-lib "leeemon" in several instances.

"This 11 seconds of video that the NYPD released, it doesn't say what happened before, it doesn't say what happened after," Leemon continued. "The scientific evidence will show he didn't shoot himself. This was another rush to judgement."

"In this case he's the victim and should be treated like the victim," Leemon added.

Meek Mill took to social media later on Monday to provide support for Troy in a lengthy Instagram message. "Don't let the press 'gas' you to go against ya own people! Because if that was a cop Tryna protect his life the police force gone stand behind them 100%" he wrote. "#freetroy & never let these 'bum ass nobody 'sucka' crab in the barrel dudes pull you down!"

Troy Ave was remanded without bail following his not guilty plea. We reached out to Troy's attorney for comment and will update when available.

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