Ludacris' manager Chaka Zulu, born Ahmed Obafemi, was arrested for his involvement in a shooting incident in a parking lot in Atlanta back in June.
According to reports, Zulu was seen leaving an event, accompanied by his assistant and a friend when a man walked up to him, bumping his chest.
The man allegedly had his hand on and around his waistband while he and Zulu got into a heated exchange.
A female bystander attempted to break the intense encounter by pushing the unknown man away from the Disturbing Tha Peace co-founder, but was unsuccessful, TMZ reported.
Zulu allegedly grabbed the man's collar, and that was when hell broke loose. A group, who was suspected to know the unnamed man, stepped in to confront the manager.
Zulu was attacked, and the group threw punches and kicked him to the ground. The physical fight turned deadly as one of the men in the group reportedly produced a gun and opened fire at Zulu, who also had a firearm and started shooting at the group.
According to local law enforcement, the shooting resulted in the death of Artez Benton, 23, while Zulu and another individual were rushed to the hospital after sustaining injuries.
The Charges
Zulu turned himself in on Sept. 13, but was later released on bail on the same day, Fulton County jail records show.
He was also hit with aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and simple battery charges.
Zulu's lawyer, Gabe Banks of Banks Weaver LLC, released a statement regarding the charges against the music executive on Instagram.
"In an attempt to save his life, Mr. Zulu lawfully discharged his weapon in self-defense, a weapon that he was licensed to carry," the statement read.
"It is not lost on Mr. Zulu that someone lost his life, but had Mr. Zulu not lawfully defended himself, Mr. Zulu would have been killed that night."
"Mr. Zulu fully cooperated with law enforcement officials and their investigation, and voluntarily turned himself in once he learned of the arrest warrants."
Self Defense
While homicide detectives named Zulu as a suspect, Banks noted in a statement to CNN that Zulu "was forced to defend himself" after being attacked "by a gang of at least four individuals."
The lawyer also added that Zulu was gravely injured by the other party, "Mr. Zulu was shot in the back during the shooting and nearly lost his life, and is still recovering from the nearly fatal injuries he sustained that evening."
He finished his statement by adding that they remain "confident" that the charges will be dropped and his name will be cleared.
As of this writing, rapper Ludacris is yet to provide a comment regarding the charges against his manager.
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