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Troy Ave is seen at a tastemaker’s dinner on December 2015 in Miami, Florida.
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Key Takeaways:
- Police closed a shooting case thought to involve Troy Ave, citing lack of evidence and no official report.
- The rapper claims the man in the viral video isn’t him and suggests it could be AI-generated.
- Public perception has shifted, with some now questioning the authenticity of the incident.
Troy Ave was initially deemed a hero after he seemed to have saved a friend from a robbery by shooting at the perpetrator. However, the authorities seem to believe the entire incident was faked.
Back in July, TMZ reported that the Brooklyn rapper apparently foiled the robbery, which took place a month before in San Diego, of celebrity chef Geoff Cole. Troy Ave was said to have fended off the gunman by shooting and chasing them off. Footage of the incident was even shared on social media by Cole, who thanked the Bricks In My Backpack creator.
However, their heroic story soon began to unravel. As previously reported on Rap-Up, “sources” connected to Cole and Troy Ave reportedly said that the entire thing was staged for “social media clout.” In fact, they cited that Troy Ave never even fired live rounds. Adding to the evidence that things weren’t as they seemed, a police report was never filed.
Now, the cops are inclined to agree that the incident was all an act. On Friday (Aug. 8), TMZ reported that the altercation was “not substantiated,” per the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office, and the case has been officially closed.
However, Troy Ave soon came out denying that he was the man in the video, despite Cole thanking him for saving his life. “Nah, they wildin’. This [motherf**ker] looks absolutely nothing like me,” he captioned the video of the incident on July 17. “Why [do] they wanna put ya boi back in jail? ‘For the record,’ I have no idea who this John Wick-looking ass n**ga is. But My advice to him would be, ‘Admit nothing.’ He could be a damn AI, for all we know.”
Troy Ave served six months of a one-year sentence for his role in the infamous 2016 Irving Plaza shooting, which involved the currently incarcerated podcaster Taxstone. Thous he’s not on parole after being released in August 2024, the rapper clearly wants to steer clear of the law.
