Man guilty in death of aspiring rapper

MAYS LANDING, N.J. - An Atlantic City man was convicted Thursday of aggravated manslaughter in the death of an aspiring rapper in what the judge likened to a Wild West gunfight.

Hasan Bruce, 21, on trial for murder, was convicted of the lesser crime for the slaying of Zachary Taylor, known as Zooty Bang, the Atlantic City Press reported. Bruce faces 10 to 30 years in prison.

Prosecutors say Taylor, 19, received a call in June 2012 from Bruce. They say Bruce became agitated, grabbed his gun, and later shot Taylor in the neck.

Bruce claimed he acted in self-defense, but Superior Court Judge Albert Garofolo rejected that argument, saying Bruce initiated the meeting and assumed Taylor would bring a gun.

"This event was the 21st-century version of a Western gunfight," the judge said.

Bruce's older brother, Jamal Bruce, was acquitted of all charges Wednesday. The judge determined that their relation and the fact he was there at the time of the killing did not constitute sufficient evidence to link him to the crime.

Hasan Bruce would have faced 30 years to life for a murder conviction.