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Ludacris' manager charged with murder over Atlanta restaurant shooting

Ludacris' manager, Chaka Zulu, has been charged with murder over a restaurant shooting.

The music executive - whose real name is Ahmed Obafemi - was charged with murder last week over a restaurant shooting that occurred in June this year, CNN reports.

The Atlanta Police Department reported on Friday that on 26 June, officers arrived at an Atlanta restaurant to find three men with gunshot wounds. They were all taken to hospital, where one man - identified as Artez Jamil Benton - died of his injuries.

Obafemi was another man shot during the attack.

Homicide investigators identified Obafemi as a suspect in the shooting and subsequently charged him with murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, and simple battery.

Obafemi turned himself in last week and was released the same day after posting a $200,000 (£175,000) bond.

Obafemi's lawyer Gabe Banks has claimed that the manager nearly died the night of the shooting and fired his weapon in self-defence.

"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 night and had every right to defend himself," Banks told CNN 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 added that his client "remains confident that his name will be cleared of all charges through the judicial process".

Obafemi has been Ludacris' manager since the 1990s.