Georgia man, son arrested in shooting death of black jogger Ahmaud Arbery

Police on Thursday arrested two white men for the shooting death of an unarmed black jogger in Georgia whose killing was captured in a video that went viral, sparking massive public outcry. Ahmaud Arbery, 25, was killed on February 23 as he ran on a sunny day in his residential neighbourhood in the town of Brunswick. But the case gained national notoriety this week with the release of a 28-second mobile phone video that captured the shooting. “Gregory & Travis McMichael have been arrested for the murder of Ahmaud Arbery,” the Georgia Bureau of Investigation tweeted. The two men were charged with murder and aggravated assault, according to a statement posted to the bureau’s website. They have been booked into the Glynn County jail. In the footage, Arbery is seen running down a residential street and approaching a white pickup truck that is stopped in the right lane with a man standing in the back. As coronavirus panic grows, Americans stock up – on guns As Arbery tries to get around the vehicle, he is confronted by a second man holding a shotgun. An altercation ensues as Arbery and this man struggle, and the black man is shot once, then once more a few seconds later. The two white men were identified by police as Travis McMichael, 34, and his father Gregory McMichael, 64, who both live in Brunswick. According to the police report, Gregory McMichael told officers he thought Arbery was a suspect in a series of area burglaries and on the day of the shooting, while standing in his front yard, he had seen the young black man “hauling arse” down the street. McMichael said he went inside, got his .357 Magnum while his son grabbed a shotgun, and they went out looking for Arbery. When they finally caught up with him and Travis McMichael got out of the truck with the shotgun, Arbery began to “violently attack” him, the father said, according to the police report. View this post on Instagram #ahmaudarbery was murdered by two white men, ON CAMERA, and dudes have not been arrested. come on, people...come. the FUCK. on... go to @shaunking 's page for info on how you can help fight for justice. A post shared by Zoë Kravitz (@zoeisabellakravitz) on May 6, 2020 at 10:55am PDT The father said he saw his son shoot Arbery twice and Arbery fall to the ground. After the video footage went viral, a Georgia district attorney said on Tuesday that a grand jury would be formed to see if there are grounds to charge the father and son. Georgia’s governor, Brian Kemp, retweeted the Bureau of Investigation’s arrest announcement and added that the “investigation remains ongoing,” as well as asked that residents call in with tips. He also praised the bureau, tweeting: “I applaud @GBI_GA Director Vic Reynolds and his agents for their swift action. Justice will be served.” US President Donald Trump said on Thursday evening he had not yet seen the video but that Arbery’s death was “a very sad thing.” “My heart goes out to the parents and to the loved ones of the young gentleman,” Trump said, adding he would get a full report of the situation later. View this post on Instagram We’re literally hunted EVERYDAY/EVERYTIME we step foot outside the comfort of our homes! Can’t even go for a damn jog man! Like WTF man are you kidding me?!?!?!?!?!? No man fr ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!! I’m sorry Ahmaud(Rest In Paradise) and my prayers and blessings sent to the heavens above to your family!!️ #StayWoke #ProfiledCauseWeAreSimplyBlack A post shared by LeBron James (@kingjames) on May 6, 2020 at 3:04pm PDT Around the country, political figures, celebrities and people on social media expressed fury. “The video is clear: Ahmaud Arbery was killed in cold blood. My heart goes out to his family, who deserve justice and deserve it now,” Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden tweeted on Wednesday. Stacey Abrams, a former Georgia state lawmaker and potential Biden running mate, hailed the arrest as an “important first step, but the first of many.” “We must not look away,” she tweeted. Before the pair’s detainment, actress Zoe Kravitz said in an Instagram post that Arbery “was murdered by two white men, ON CAMERA, and dudes have not been arrested. come on, people.” It was shared by such figures as Billie Eilish and Kylie Jenner. Some drew parallels between this case and the shooting death of another unarmed young black man, Trayvon Martin, by a neighbourhood guard in Florida in 2012. “We’re literally hunted EVERYDAY/EVERYTIME we step foot outside the comfort of our homes!,” basketball great LeBron James said on Instagram.