MANDEL: Toronto rapper who claimed self-defence sentenced to life for murder

Ridge 'Big Rax' Kazumba fatally shot Nakhari Henry-Robinson, 23, in a cafe in 2023: 'Senseless and impulsive act of unnecessary violence'

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Published Apr 28, 2026  •  Last updated 24 minutes ago  •  3 minute read

In this court exhibit – taken from surveillance video – Ridge Kazumba is circled in red. Kazumba has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Negus Henry-Robinson.

Ridge “Big Rax” Kazumba was a successful rapper, a community volunteer and dedicated dad.

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He destroyed it all by pulling out his illegal handgun in the Royal Caribbean Cafe on St. Clair Ave. W. on Aug. 24, 2023, unleashing an estimated 15 shots at the strangers he believed were planning to make their name by executing a Regent Park rapper.

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But he was horribly mistaken.

Now Nakhari Henry-Robinson, 23, is dead, Kazumba’s successful career is in ruins, and found guilty of second-degree murder and unlawful possession of a loaded, restricted firearm, he was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison with no chance of parole for 12 years.

Nakhari Henry-Robinson. GOFUNDME HANDOUT

‘Senseless and impulsive act’

“Mr. Kazumba made an impulsive decision to kill Mr. Henry-Robinson based on a genuine but entirely unfounded belief that Mr. Henry-Robinson meant to do him harm,” said Superior Court Justice Andras Schreck. “While the force used by Mr. Kazumba might have been reasonable if there was a reasonable basis for him to believe that he had to defend himself, there was no such basis.

“To put it simply, this was a senseless and impulsive act of unnecessary violence by someone who made the decision to act without thinking based on an unfounded and irrational moment of fear.”

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Testifying in his own defence late last year, Kazumba told the jury he was a successful musician who toured Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. and often collaborated with close friend and famous fellow Regent Park rapper and poet, Mustafa Ahmed, including performing with him at the Junos in 2022.

In July 2023, Kazumba was visiting his father in Congo when Mustafa’s older brother, Mohamed Ahmed, called to warn him people wanted to kill him and his son. The rapper made emergency arrangements back home to have his child moved to a safer address.

The next day, a distraught Mustafa called to tell him his brother had been murdered.

Kazumba rushed home. He said he was nervous, changed his routine and purchased a gun for the first time.

“I was scared for my life at this point, I was scared for my son’s life,” he explained. “My friend Mohamed just got shot and killed.”

And he feared he’d be next.

“My reality, where I come from, when you kill an artist from Regent Park, it’s like a badge of honour,” Kazumba said.

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On Aug. 24, he said he packed his gun for safety and after a recording session, headed to Royal’s for Jamaican food. He testified that he saw Henry-Robinson enter and touch the pocket of his hoodie, and heard him say, “I’m gonna smoke you, I’m gonna smoke you.”

So he claimed he had to shoot first. The bullet hit Henry-Robinson in the chest and would prove fatal. Kazumba then shot him again in the back as he turned and ran.

The victim’s friend, Thulani Moncrieffe-Belmar, returned fire. In the ensuing gunfight captured on video, Kazumba was hit in the hand and fled, followed later by the other gunman.

Moncrieffe-Belmar awaiting sentencing

Tried with Kazumba, the jury acquitted Moncrieffe-Belmar of reckless discharge of a firearm but convicted him of unauthorized possession of a loaded restricted firearm. He’s awaiting sentencing.

Jurors rejected Kazumba’s self-defence argument and the judge also didn’t believe Henry-Robinson had uttered any threat or had a plan to kill him that day, finding his killer’s fears were “unfounded and unreasonable.”

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Arming himself, he said, led to disaster.

“The unlawful possession of illegal handguns is a prevalent and pressing problem in Toronto. This case illustrates why,” Schreck said. “For a person armed with a loaded handgun, nothing more than a fleeting instance of bad judgment and slight pressure on a trigger can end for all time the existence of another human being.”

But he wasn’t prepared to set parole ineligibility at 14 to 15 years, as the Crown requested.

“Prior to committing this offence, Mr. Kazumba had no criminal record and was a gainfully employed, successful musician who supported his son and spent time doing volunteer work,” the judge said. “It appears that the offence was out of character for him and it is likely that he can once again become a law-abiding and contributing member of society.”

And the two weapons used in the gunfight that day? They still haven’t been recovered.

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