Ludacris’ manager charged with murder for June shooting that left him wounded

Ludacris’ longtime manager, Chaka Zulu, has been charged with murder in a deadly shooting in Atlanta that left a 23-year-old man dead.

Zulu, who was injured in the shooting, turned himself in last week on charges of murder, aggravated assault, possession of a weapon during certain crimes and simple battery, the Atlanta Police Department said Saturday.

He was released on $200,000 bond, according to jail records.

Zulu was initially presented as a victim in the late June shooting when police responded to reports of shots fired in a parking lot in Buckhead, an upscale neighborhood in the area, and found three men with gunshot wounds.

Artez Benton, 23, was pronounced dead at the hospital.

The Atlanta Police Department did not provide any motive or explanation for the shooting, but Zulu’s lawyer told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that the manager was jumped from behind by four men, including Benton, and beaten, then shot in the back.

“Mr. Zulu was at his place of business that night and had every reason to defend himself,” his lawyer, Gabe Banks, said in a statement. “In an attempt to save his life, Mr. Zulu lawfully discharged his weapon in self-defense, a weapon that he is licensed to carry.”

Banks also said that Zulu, whose real name is Ahmed Obafemi, is “still recovering from the nearly fatal injuries he sustained that evening.”

Zulu has managed Ludacris for more than two decades and 11 records. In 1998, the pair formed Disturbing Tha Peace Records, along with Zulu’s brother Jeff Dixon. The label, now a subsidiary of Def Jam South Recordings, has been home to artists including Chingy, Shawnna, Bobby V, Playaz Circle and Lil Scrappy.