Music executive and manager of the rapper/actor Ludacris, Chaka Zulu, has been charged with murder in relation to a shooting that took place in a restaurant in Atlanta in June and resulted in the death of one person. Atlanta Police have charged Zulu with murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, and simple violence despite the co-founder of Luda’s Disturbing Tha Peace imprint’s claims of self-defense.
In a new video obtained by TMZ, a group of men, including the now dead Artez Benton, entered Zulu’s Apt4B restaurant but would leave minutes later after a dispute. Zulu went back inside the restaurant and got into a heated argument with Tre’mon Robinson, who was a part of the group asked to leave.
Later in the video, another man, Corey Crawford, is seen grabbing an item from a car, which Zulu believed was a gun. Robinson would bump Zulu as his friends would come over. Zulu was jumped by all three men. A woman associate would attempt to help Chaka Zulu, but she was punched in the face. Crawford would duck behind a car, and shots are fired, seemingly coming from Zulu first. Shots are returned, hitting Zulu in the back. Benton sustained a shot to the chest, which would kill him.
Zulu turned himself in on Tuesday and was lodged at the Fulton County Jail. According to jail records, he was freed the same day after posting a $200,000 bond. Since the incident, only he has been accused of the crime.
Attorney Gabe Banks claims that Zulu only fired his weapon in self-defense and if he did not defend himself, he might have been the one who lost his life that night.
“Mr. Chaka Zulu, a beloved son of the City of Atlanta, is disappointed in the Atlanta Police Department’s decision to bring charges against him surrounding the shooting that occurred in June 2022. A close review of all the evidence, including the surveillance footage and eyewitness interviews, reveals that Mr. Zulu was attacked and jumped from behind by a gang of at least four individuals (sadly including the decedent) and was forced to defend himself after this gang repeatedly stomped, punched and kicked him while he was on the ground in a defenseless posture. 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. Mr. Zulu was at his place of business that might and had every reason to defend himself. In an attempt to save his life, Mr. Zulu lawfully discharged his weapon in self-defense, a weapon that he is licensed to carry. Mr. Zulu fully cooperated with law enforcement officials and their investigation, and voluntarily turned himself in once he teared of the arrest warrants. Mr. Zulu remains confident that his name will be cleared of all charges through the judicial process. 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.”
