The family of the late Ronald “Edgar” McPhatter, bodyguard and associate to Brooklyn rapper Troy Ave, has broken their silence on the shooting death of McPhatter, and they’ve done so out of frustration with Troy.
While speaking with DNA Info, McPhatter’s sister, Jamie Albert, revealed her family feels that her brother’s death has been exploited by Troy Ave in the months following the deadly shooting.
The rapper has referenced the fatal incident in songs and even created a scholarship fund in McPhatter’s honor without the approval of his family, who are demanding their name be removed from the scholarship.
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Albert even went so far as to lay responsibility for her brother’s death on Troy, who she says used McPhatter “as a human bulletproof vest.”
“We hold him responsible for the death of our brother,” she said. “My family is not trying to stop kids from getting money, but we don’t want him to use our brother as a publicity stunt. We didn’t get a call, none of us were aware of it until we saw it in the news.
“We’ve done nothing to him, but he’s exploited our family and this tragedy in such a negative way,” she added. “He used our brother as a human bulletproof vest. Instead of apologizing, he bashes us and he disrespects and he talks down on us. We’ve been too gracious about some of the things that happened to our little brother.”
Albert also revealed that McPhatter was looking to break his ties with Troy Ave, who she said only paid her brother $200 weekly for his bodyguard and other services. She says the two had argued over money prior to the shooting.
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“He told us he was not dealing with Troy Ave no more,” Albert said. “The day he died, I was on the phone with Edgar for two hours, and twice Troy Ave called and my brother sent the calls to voicemail.”
The sister to McPhatter, who denounced comments Troy Ave made about McPhatter in his recent interview with The Breakfast Club, also claimed that the rapper and his family dodged phone calls made to discuss funeral expenses. Troy allegedly told the family of McPhatter to reach out to his family for money to cover expenses.
“This man never came to me, my sister, my mom or my brother to offer anything,” McPhatter’s sister said. “We called and called, and this went on for two days and we said, ‘We’re not gonna bother them no more.’ So we never asked for no money.”
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Despite Troy Ave’s desire to have Ronald McPhatter buried in East New York, his family buried him in North Carolina.
“We didn’t want his grave to be a spectacle,” Albert said.
