“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. 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 learned 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.”

Obafemi’s lawyer, Gabe Banks, said that his client was licensed to carry and discharged his weapon in the act of self-defense after being attacked. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a new gun law in April approving permitless carry.

In addition to self-defense, Georgia has a stand-your-ground law. It’s been more than ten years since the controversial legal theory came to light after the killing of Trayvon Martin. Research shows that Black people who assert a defense based on self-defense or stand their ground are considerably less likely to be found justified.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, support poured in from artists across social media, including 50 Cent, Lil Jon, Tika Sumpter, and Jaleel White. Family friend and former Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed has also shown public support for Zulu since he was shot in June.

Obafemi turned himself in at the Fulton County Jail on Tuesday (September 13) after Atlanta Police Homicide Investigators identified him as a suspect, CBS46 reported.  The investigation is ongoing.

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