The Los Angeles Times is reporting that the man accused of killing Konvict Muzik label rapper Dolla in Los Angeles earlier this week has reportedly admitted to the crime, but says the act was done in self defense.
The attorney for 23-year-old Aubrey Louis Berry said his client opened fire after feeling threatened by the rapper and his entourage during a chance encounter at the Beverly Center.
Berry was arrested Monday at Los Angeles International Airport on charges of shooting Dolla, whose real name was Roderick Anthony Burton II, while he stood at the valet waiting area of the popular Westside shopping center.
Police allege that Berry, a promoter who had an altercation with Burton at an Atlanta strip club earlier this month, fired at Burton, 21, and two people who were with him.
Berry’s attorney, Howard R. Price, said his client and Dolla clashed at the Platinum 21 Adult Entertainment club in Atlanta. The two happened to run into each other again Monday in the restroom of P.F. Chang’s China Bistro in the Beverly Center in what Price described as a chance encounter.
Price says the rapper threatened Berry, who decided to leave the restaurant. When Berry went to the mall’s valet area for his car, Dolla and two other people followed him, the attorney said. Berry thought Dolla was reaching for his waistband and fired his weapon. “He perceived that his life was in danger,” Price said.
“This is not a murder case,” said Berry’s attorney, Howard R. Price. “At worst it’s a manslaughter case, at best it’s a case of self-defense,” he said.
Los Angeles prosecutors disagreed, charging Berry on Wednesday with one count of murder and two counts of assault with a firearm. A judge set bail at $5 million.
“Our prosecutors believe the evidence was sufficient for a murder filing,” said Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. “We try our cases in the courtroom, not on the sidewalk.”
Information from the Los Angeles Times and Eurweb.com contributed to this report.
