A T.I. concert ends in gunfire.
Tip was slated to headline a show at New York City’s Irving Plaza on Wednesday (May 25), but never made it onstage. Instead, as openers Maino and Uncle Murda performed at 10:15 p.m., bullets rang out, resulting in the death of a 33-year-old man, who was shot in the stomach. Three others—two men and one woman—were injured in a third-floor green room, according to ABC7 New York.
Among those hospitalized was Troy Ave. The Major Without a Deal rapper was reportedly the first person shot. He was hit in the leg and is expected to recover.
According to PIX11 News, 50 Cent visited Bellevue Hospital on Thursday (May 26) to check on someone. “I’m here to support my friend, his girl was shot,” said the G-Unit mogul. “What’s happened here is not good.”
It is unclear if he was referring to Ave in the quote, though XXL reports that he did visit his “Bang Bang” collaborator.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juxtt5rsE9Q
Many questions remain regarding the shooting. Authorities don’t know the cause, who was involved, how many bullets were fired, or how the weapon was allowed in the club, which reportedly has metal detectors at the doors.
Witnesses have theories about what happened. For instance, a witness told The New York Times that an altercation backstage “spilled onto the stage” and that it resulted in the gunfire. Another witness said she was “stomped on” while trying to exit the club with other concertgoers.
Although questions linger regarding the case, police are investigating surveillance video, clips from concertgoers, and ballistic evidence. Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said that he’s confident that they will be able to complete their investigation easily.
“We feel we’ll wrap it up very quickly,” he told WCBS 880 (via New York Post). “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.”