After an earlier dispute at an Atlanta strip club, the accused felt threatened in a random encounter in L.A., his defense attorney says.
The attorney for an Atlanta man accused of killing rapper Dolla earlier this week said his client opened fire after feeling threatened by the rapper and his entourage during a chance encounter at the Beverly Center.
Aubrey Louis Berry, 23, 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.
“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. Police said that no other weapons were recovered from the scene and that Burton was unarmed. A judge set bail at $5 million.
