Troy Ave, Brooklyn Rapper, Charged With Attempted Murder After T.I. Concert Shooting

Pictured, from left: The shooting victim's older brother, Shanduke McPhatter; New York City Councilman Jumaane Williams; and the late Ronald "Edgar" McPhatter. Photo courtesy of the councilman's office

EAST FLATBUSH, BROOKLYN — Ronald "Edgar" McPhatter, 33, the younger brother of a leading Brooklyn anti-violence activist who himself was involved in his brother's community work, was identified by friends and family Thursday as the man killed in a chaotic shooting at a T.I. rap concert the night before.

McPhatter took a fatal bullet to the stomach, and three others were wounded, after a man believed to be 33-year-old Brownsville-area rapper Troy Ave, real name Roland Collins, was caught on tape firing gunshots into the crowd at Irving Plaza around 10:15 p.m. Wednesday.

Police have released the following video of the shooting.

The video shows a gunman, strongly resembling Troy Ave, casually enter the green room above the stage area at Irving Plaza and fire shots at an unknown target.

It's still not clear whether Troy Ave was the one who shot McPhatter.

In an interview with the New York Times, the NYPD's chief of detectives, Robert Boyce, said: “What we can determine right now from the witnesses and video is that a fisticuff broke out, and then a gunfight directly thereafter. It went on for about five minutes.”

Asked if police were still searching for another gunman in connection to the shooting, an NYPD spokesman told Patch: "That's still part of the investigation."

Troy Ave himself was shot in the leg, and was privately transported to the nearby NYU Hospital in Murray Hill, police said.

The NYPD confirmed to Patch that Troy Ave — who is involved with T.I.'s label, and was reportedly scheduled to open for his Wednesday-night concert — was in custody Thursday and facing charges in connection to the shooting, but not necessarily for McPhatter's murder.

So far, the charges against Troy Ave are "attempted murder" and "criminal possession of a weapon," an NYPD spokeswoman said. However, she said additional charges may be announced as the investigation continues.

The arrested rapper lives on Union Street near Troy Avenue in Crown Heights, according to police.

NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton reportedly said the following of the investigation on news radio Thursday:

“We feel we’ll wrap it up very quickly. The crazy world of the so-called rap artists who are basically thugs that basically celebrate the violence… and unfortunately that violence often times manifests itself during their performances and that’s exactly what happened last evening.”

According to reporter Karen Civil, McPhatter was a friend of Troy's and an affiliate of his B$B crew. McPhatter's nickname in the crew, she reported, was B$B Banga.

McPhatter's sister wrote on Facebook that she recognized Troy Ave as the shooter in the NYPD video. "Video shows him shooting," she said. "But I'm still in denial. Why would he kill my brother. His own bodyguard."

McPhatter's mother, Rose, likewise threw shade at Troy in an interview with the Daily News outside her apartment at Boerum Hill's Gowanus Houses.

“He actually cared a lot about Troy Ave," she said of her late son. "My wish is that Troy Ave cared as much about my son as he cared about him. I say that because I watched how my son would always bend over backwards to help him."

"If [Troy] cared about my son as much as he alleged he does, I would've received a call from him," she said. "He didn't call me. He didn't call any of my other sons.”

• Sign up here to receive email alerts from Patch when news breaks in your Brooklyn neighborhood

Making things even more confusing, B$B member Maino, who also performed at the T.I. show, posted a photo to Instagram of himself and Troy Ave. He assured fans that "what transpired was absolutely NOT the result of MYSELF or ANYBODY IN MY CAMP , ENTOURAGE, TRAVELING PARTY or ORGANIZATION IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM."

Maino insisted there were no "ongoing beefs" or "entourage issues" within the crew.

Another member of the crew posted a photo of McPhatter, and wrote: "You ain't even wanna come out lastnight bro. U kept saying u had some shit to do."

T.I. himself then wrote on Instagram: “Our music is intended to save lives, like it has mine and many others. My heartfelt condolences to the family that suffered the loss and my prayers are with all those injured.”

According to New York City Councilman Jumaane Williams — who represents the Flatbush and East Flatbush neighborhoods in Brooklyn, and who also knew the victim — McPhatter was called Banger "because of his prowess in sports."

In an emotional statement issued Thursday afternoon, the councilman said McPhatter and his older brother Shanduke "have been on the front lines of gun violence awareness."

"I remember Ronald walking with us late nights talking to young men and women in an effort to steer them away from making bad, life-altering decisions," Williams said. "It pains me that he lost his life to gun violence, which is an issue he worked every day to fight against."

Shanduke is the founder and CEO of Gangstas Making Astronomical Community Changes (GMACC), an anti-violence organization operating out of East Flatbush, near Brownsville.

"There is no way I can answer all the texts and calls. ..please give me a few ..." Shanduke wrote online after Wednesday's shooting.

Just a day earlier, Troy Ave, who gets his name from the Brooklyn street where he grew up, posted a photo to Instagram in front of a storefront he said would serve as his B$B label's new offices.

"This a proud moment for me cause they said I wouldn't be $HiT but a drug dealer from Brooklyn," he wrote.

The other two concertgoers wounded in the T.I. concert shooting were identified by the New York Post as Christopher Vinson, 34, and Maggie Heckstall, 26. Both are reportedly recovering at Manhattan's Bellevue Hospital, where rapper 50 Cent, visiting Heckstall, told the Post: "I’m here to support my friend, his girl was shot. What’s happened here is not good.”

In addition to bodyguarding for Troy Ave, McPhatter worked as a private trainer in Brooklyn, according to his various social-media profiles.

McPhatter's older brother, Shanduke, wept openly at a press conference outside Irving Plaza on Thursday.

“He was a great person,” Shanduke told the Daily News of his brother. “He was a protector. He died doing that.”

"They called him ‘Banger’ because he banged on bigger dudes in basketball, not because he’s banging and shooting people down in the streets,” Shanduke said. “I kept him away from that because he was my little brother.”

In response to reports that McPhatter had been due in court in connection to a November shooting, his big brother reportedly said: “My brother was never convicted of a felony. Don’t criminalize him. He was in the hip-hop business. He was doing his job and holding things down. That’s what my brother was doing when he lost his life. He was working. He was doing his job.”