Rap Personality Taxstone Charged in Fatal Shooting at T.I. Show
UPDATE: Daryl Campbell, also known as rap personality Taxstone, has been indicted for the murder of Troy Ave’s bodyguard during a 2016 T.I. concert at Irving Plaza.
As NY Daily reports, Campbell was ordered held without bail on murder, attempted murder, assault and weapons charges at his Manhattan Supreme Court arraignment on Thursday. According to DNA Info, Campbell pleaded not guilty during Thursday’s hearing. In June, Campbell pleaded guilty on the federal weapons charges.
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Rap personality Daryl Campbell, also known as Taxstone, was hit with two weapons charges related to a fatal shooting at a T.I. concert in New York City last May, Reuters reports.
In court filings, prosecutors said that they had found Campbell’s DNA on the only weapon used in the shooting. The incident left one dead, Ronald McPhatter, a bodyguard for rapper Troy Ave, while the MC was also shot in the leg and two concertgoers were wounded.
According to The New York Times, Campbell, who hosts the podcast Tax Season, had been feuding with Troy Ave before the shooting at Irving Plaza. The two sniped at each other on Twitter, while Campbell called Troy Ave “a fraud rapper” in a 2015 interview and the MC dissed the host on his song, “Lower Level Nutsax.” However, according to federal agents, the feud escalated and Campbell allegedly threatened to shoot Troy Ave, saying, “When I see you walking up with six dudes, bang-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba.”
According to court papers, Campbell can be seen on Irving Plaza surveillance footage entering the room where the incident occurred and running out after four shots were fired. The video also shows Collins holding the gun and firing one shot at Campbell as he ran away.
Prosecutors argued that Campbell should be detained because he was a flight risk and a danger to his community. They also alleged that he was a member of a “dangerous gang” and noted his prior arrests and two felony convictions.
Campbell’s lawyer, Kennth Montgomery, countered that the evidence showed another individual was “most culpable,” supposedly referring to Troy Ave. Montgomery also said that Campbell’s discussions about his past gang involvement on his podcast were taken out of context, and that he has had plenty of time to flee, but hasn’t, not even after a SWAT team showed up at his house on January 3rd.
A judge set bail at $500,000 and ordered Campbell to remain under house arrest. He will be allowed to leave to work on his podcast.
Meanwhile, Troy Ave has been out on $500,000 bail after pleading not guilty to charges of second-degree attempted murder and four counts of criminal possession of a weapon stemming from the May 25th shooting. Last December, the rapper was shot twice in Brooklyn, with one of the bullets grazing his head and another hitting his arm. Speaking to The New York Daily News, the rapper’s lawyer said it was unclear whether the December shooting was related to the Irving Plaza incident.