The Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested a Brunswick father and son Thursday and charged them with murder and aggravated assault stemming from the Feb. 23 shooting of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery. Recently released video shows the brutal shooting, one that has spurred reactions across the country.
The Shooting of Ahmaud Arbery
Video shows two men, identified as Greg and Travis McMichael, apparently gun down Arbery in cold blood. Public pressure mounted quickly to arrest the men, following the release of the video, reported ajc.com.
“It’s outrageous that it has taken more than two months for Ahmaud Arbery’s executioners to be arrested, but better late than never,” said attorney Benjamin Crump, who represents Arbery’s father, reported ajc.com. “This is the first step to justice. This murderous father and son duo took the law into their own hands.”
Arbery would have turned 26 on Friday, reported ajc.com. Instead, the young man died while simply jogging in broad daylight. Video shows Travis, 34, shoot Arbery three times. Greg, 64, drove the pickup truck. A third man, William Bryan, drove another vehicle and aided in the chase, reported ajc.com. Incredibly, Bryan released the footage that lead to the arrests.
“There had been very little information provided by the police department or the district attorney’s office, but there was entirely too much speculation, rumor, false narratives, and outright lies surrounding this event,” Tucker told ajc.com. “I didn’t release this to ‘show that they did nothing wrong,’ as is being circulated.”
Greg reportedly told police he recognized Arbery from video surveillance showing a recent break-in. He also reportedly investigated Arbery on a previous shoplifting charge.
Reporting of the incident paints a poor portrait of local officials. It appears the leaked video sparked the arrest, a video law enforcement allegedly had for some time. So for now, it seems a pair of vigilantes took justice into their own hands. And a potentially innocent man is dead.
