Ahmaud Arbery Case Escalated To Federal Investigation

Justice for Ahmaud Arbery is taking another step forward.

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate how local authorities handled the Feb. 23 slaying of Arbery by two white men, the Associated Press reports.

The 25-year-old Brunswick, Ga. man was unarmed when he went for a jog near his home. Two white men — Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son Travis McMichael, 34 — chased Arbery in a pickup truck and gunned him down. There was no arrest in the case until a video of the shooting surfaced last week, sparking widespread outrage.

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“We are committed to a complete and transparent review of how the Ahmaud Arbery case was handled from the outset,” Carr said. “The family, the community and the state of Georgia deserve answers, and we will work with others in law enforcement at the state and federal level to find those answers.”

There is broad sentiment that the young man was profiled because of his race. Voices from local and national activists, including NBA star LeBron James and even Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden have called for justice.