DOJ Indicts Three Men For Killing Ahmaud Arbery

On Wednesday (April 28), the Department of Justice announced that three men have been indicted on hate crime and attempted kidnapping charges for the death of Ahmaud Arbery.

On February 23, 2020, three men (William “Roddie” Bryan Jr, 51, Gregory McMichael, 65, and his 35-year-old son Travis McMichael) followed 25-year-old Arbery in a truck while he was out for a jog in Brunswick, Georgia. The men chased him down and fatally shot him, all of which was captured on video.

According to a news release from the US Justice Department, all three men were charged with one count of interference with rights and with one count of attempted kidnapping.

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CNN reported the McMichaels’claimed their intentions were to conduct a citizen’s arrest and that they were acting in self-defense. Bryan, who recorded the video of Arbery being fatally shot, joined in on the chase with the McMichaels and allegedly hit Arbery with his truck.

The McMichaels were also charged with one count each of using, carrying and brandishing a firearm. Travis, however, was charged with discharging the firearm — a .357 Magnum revolver.

The federal charges add on to the state criminal charges that all three men face: malice and felony murder, aggravated assualt, false imprisonment and a criminal attempt to commit a felony. There is no set trial date for state charges.

Neither the McMichaels’ nor Bryan Jr. were arrested at the time of Arbery’s death. It was only months later, after the release of video of his killing sparked nationwide outrage, did they face criminal charges.