Last month, Troy Ave was outside of a garage in San Diego with celebrity chef Geoff Cole when their evening took a frightening turn for the worse. Surveillance footage of the incident shows the two of them getting out of a vehicle, per AllHipHop, and a man sneaking up behind Cole.
The rapper didn't think twice before pulling out a handgun and opening fire, prompting the wannabe thief to take off. He allegedly chased him and fired at least two more shots his direction, though it remains unclear whether or not any of the bullets hit the suspect.
Cole took to Instagram yesterday to show his appreciation for the artist and reflect on the startling experience. "I came home after Celebrating the success of a sold out Chef Fest with Love & support from all over the West Coast! And a hater from the SAME CITY tried 2 take it all away!" he began. "This the 2nd time but it WON’T be a 3rd! s/o 2 my BROTHER Ave for Holding it Down in a situation where most woulda RAN or FOLDED 💪🏽 ‼️."
Troy Ave Shooting
"I’ll never let the hate stop Me from showing LOVE!" Cole continued. "Ima keep giving artists OPPORTUNITIES & PLATFORMS, Ima Keep Gettin MONEY 💰 And the ONLY thing im doing different now, is taking this SHOW ON THE ROAD‼️."
This isn't the first shooting Troy Ave has been involved in either. In 2016, he got into a heated dispute with Taxstone backstage at a T.I. concert in New York City. Tragically, four people were seriously injured as a result. Taxstone fatally shot Troy Ave's bodyguard, 33-year-old Ronald “Banga” McPhatter, in the chest. He also allegedly shot Troy Ave in both legs and hit two others.
Taxstone was later convicted of manslaughter charges and sentenced to 35 years in prison. Troy Ave was sentenced to one year for his alleged role in the incident.
