Self-Defense Claim in Dolla Death

The man arrested in the shooting death at a Los Angeles mall of Atlanta rapper Dolla, aka Roderick Anthony Burton II, is claiming self-defense, his attorney said.

An attorney for Aubrey Louis Berry said his client felt his life was in danger when he encountered the rapper and his entourage at the Beverly Center May 18, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“This is not a murder case,” Howard Price told the Times. “At worst it’s a manslaughter case, at best it’s a case of self-defense.”

Berry faces one charge of murder and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and is being held on $5 million bail.

Price said Berry, who’d clashed with Burton earlier in the month at an Atlanta strip club, was threatened by Burton and tried to leave the mall but was followed by the rapper and two friends. Berry allegedly pulled out his gun and shot Burton because he saw Burton reach for his waistband.

“He perceived that his life was in danger,” Price said.

However, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons told the paper the evidence speaks for itself.

“We try our cases in the courtroom, not on the sidewalk,” Gibbons said. “Our prosecutors believe the evidience was sufficient for a murder filing.”

Police found no other weapons at the scene and Burton was unarmed.