Two Men Involved in Shooting of Ahmaud Arbery Have Been Arrested and Face Murder Charges

On Tuesday, video was released showing the graphic shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery. As the video went viral, public outcry intensified with many outraged that the men responsible hadn’t been arrested or faced any charges.

CNN reports that Gregory McMichael and his son Travis McMichael have been arrested and will placed in Glynn County Jail. According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the men face charges of murder and aggravated assault. It’s been over two months since the incident occurred and there has been growing outrage that both men hadn’t even been taken into custody.

On February 23, Gregory McMichael and his son saw Arbery jogging in a neighborhood outside of Brunswick. According to a Glynn County Police report, they believed him to be responsible for a series of burglaries in their neighborhood and drove after him with guns. Travis McMichael approached Arbery with his shotgun and shot Arbery three times during a struggle for the shotgun.

Earlier this week, District Attorney Tom Durden of the Atlantic Judicial Circuit said that he would put the case before a grand jury to determine if criminal charges would be filed. As courts are currently closed due to coronavirus, the earliest the case would’ve been heard was June. The GBI announced Wednesday evening that they were investigating the case.

“It’s a travesty of justice that they enjoyed their freedom for 74 days after taking the life of a young black man who was simply jogging. Yet, tomorrow, on Ahmaud’s birthday, his parents are denied the simple joy of celebrating with their son.” said Benjamin Crump, an attorney for Arbery’s father. A press conference will be held on Friday morning to discuss the case according to a tweet from GBI.