New York City hip hop personality Taxstone was convicted in connection to a 2016 shooting that killed a man at Manhattan concert venue Irving Plaza just before rapper T.I. was scheduled to perform, the Manhattan district attorney announced.
Taxstone, also known as Daryl Campbell, was convicted Thursday on manslaughter, assault and weapon possession charges for the May 2016 shooting that left 33-year-old Ronald “Banga” McPhatter dead, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg said in a press release.
Three others were seriously injured in the shooting, including rapper Ronald Collins, known as Troy Ave. McPhatter was a bodyguard and friend of Troy Ave.
“Campbell was convicted of killing a man and shooting three others during a tragic and deadly confrontation in a packed New York City music venue,” said Bragg. “In addition to seriously injuring his rival and killing his rival’s bodyguard, Mr. Campbell shot innocent bystanders and put hundreds of other lives at risk.”
According to prosecutors, the 37-year-old Campbell had previously made comments about the music and reputation of Troy Ave, which started a longstanding feud.
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Before the concert on the night of May 25, Campbell confronted and threatened Troy Ave and McPhatter around 10 p.m. in the third-floor green room at Irving Plaza, the DA’s office said. The melee began as a fist fight, but quickly devolved into a shooting. He took out a gun and shot McPhatter in the chest; the bodyguard was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Campbell, a former rapper who hosted his own "Tax Season" podcast, then grappled with Troy Ave for control of the gun. During the scuffle, Campbell shot the rapper in both his legs, prosecutors said. Another man and woman were also shot during the fight.
Video shot inside the 1,025-person venue showed a chaotic scene as concertgoers rushed to the sides trying to leave the area as a group of people tended to a person on the floor.
Rapper T.I. did not appear to have played any part in the shooting, officials have previously said.
In Jan. 2017, nearly eight months after the shootings, Campbell was arrested in Brooklyn, where he lived. Sentencing is scheduled for April 19.
