Rapper arrested in shooting at NY City concert that killed one

[May 27, 2016]  (Reuters) - Police on Thursday arrested a rapper in connection with a shooting that left one man dead and three other people wounded shortly before a concert by rapper T.I. in Manhattan.

New York City Police said rapper Troy Ave, 33, whose legal name is Roland Collins, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Police said the investigation is ongoing.

The shooting started Wednesday night as an argument broke out between rival groups associated with Troy Ave and rapper Maino, according to reports.

Maino and another rapper, Uncle Murda, were performing before an audience of about 1,000 at the Irving Place club in lower Manhattan when gunfire erupted at about 10:15 p.m., according to reports.

New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton told a local radio station on Thursday that police believe the investigation will be wrapped up quickly. "We have a pretty good idea of what happened," Bratton said.

Three men and one woman who were shot. One of the victims, a 33-year-old man, was shot in the stomach and was pronounced dead at a local hospital, police said

The others who were struck were a 26-year-old woman wounded in the leg, a 34-year-old man shot in the chest and a 30-year-old man wounded in the leg, police said. None of the victims were identified.

Two of the three wounded were taken to local hospitals and were in stable condition.

A video clip posted on Twitter showed dozens of people screaming and rushing away from the stage. They fell to the ground as shots rang out.

File photo of Rapper T.I. performing at the 4th Annual VH1 Hip Hop Honors event in New York, in this October 4, 2007 file photo. REUTERS/Max Morse/Files

In 2015, two people were wounded in a shooting at a North Carolina nightclub also featuring rapper T.I.

Bratton told the radio station that violence is often part of the world of rap artists and music, saying that rappers are "basically thugs."

"Unfortunately that violence often times manifests itself during performances and that's exactly what happened last evening," he said.

(Reporting by Suzannah Gonzales in Chicago; Additional reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Leslie Adler)

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