On Sept. 21 the attorneys for Chaka Zulu, whose real name is Ahmed Obafemi, held a press conference at The Gathering Spot to discuss the incident regarding the businessman that occurred on the night of June 26. Zulu is being charged with murder, aggravated assault, simple battery, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.
Zulu and his family were present at the press conference, as they stood in front of a screen that showed the three hashtags “#IStandWithChaka,” “#StandWithChaka,” and “#WeStandWithChaka.”
With footage of the incident being released on Sept. 21, lead attorney Gabe Banks said they felt compelled to hold the press conference because some reports suggested Artez Benton, who was fatally shot by Zulu, was an innocent bystander.
According to Banks, Zulu was talking to a friend outside the APT 4B restaurant, and as they are walking away, Tre’mon Robinson confronts him.
Things escalated quickly, and Robinson began to reach for his waistband. That’s when Zulu tries to de-escalate the situation, telling Robinson to “put that s— away.” Robinson then bumps Zulu, and he responds by pushing him against a nearby car.
That’s when Zulu is attacked from behind by multiple men who were a part of Robinson’s crew. They began to kick and punch Zulu while he was on the ground, during which Banks said he was “fighting for his life.”
Zulu’s assistant then comes to his aid by jumping on one of the men but is struck twice in the face by Robinson, causing her to fall to the ground.
“Witnesses told APD that there was a large man with a gun in the center of this fight saying ‘Get the f— back,’ ” Banks said. “I can tell you here today, that on that evening while Chaka was on the ground, and he heard those words, he thought that someone was trying to kill him.”
As Zulu gets back to his feet, Robinson and Benton charge at him, and Banks says Zulu discharged his weapon lawfully in self-defense. Benton was shot in the chest and later died from his injuries. At the same time, Zulu was shot in the back by Crawford. Zulu was able to make it inside the restaurant to his friends and family, and they called 911. “According to the medical professionals at Grady Hospital, he almost lost his life that night,” Banks said.
Zulu turned himself into authorities on Sept. 13 and was released from the Fulton County Jail the same day. Police have yet to charge or arrest Robinson or Crawford for their actions that night.
“Despite our efforts and despite our call for them to conduct a thorough investigation, APD failed in every respect, and in fact, they haven’t interviewed every critical witness or identified every credible witness that was there on the scene that night,” Banks said. “They haven’t even interviewed the initial instigator, Tre’mon Robinson.”
