Family of black jogger gunned down by father and son demands justice for killing
The family of a jogger chased and gunned down by a father and son is calling for justice after the shocking murder.
Ahmaud Arbery’s death has sparked outrage after it was captured on video that shows the moment the 25-year-old was shot dead by Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son Travis, 34, in Bunswick, Georgia on February 23.
Neither McMichael or his son have been arrested or charged with Arbery’s murder, which they justified by saying they believed Arbery was a burglar who had recently targeted the neighborhood.
On Tuesday, a prosecutor vowed to take the case before a grand jury, but Arbery’s family wants the McMichaels arrested without waiting for the grand jury.
‘There are a number of agencies that can go out and make these arrests today,’ said Lee Merritt, a lawyer for Arbery’s family.
‘That is our demand. The men who murdered Ahmaud should be prosecuted.’
Merrit went on to call for District Attorney Thomas Durden, an outside prosecutor assigned to the case, to issue arrest warrants for the father and son.
‘We respect that there is a legal process that must be followed in order for formal indictments to take place, but for the safety of this community, for the respect of Ahmaud Arbery’s memory, we demand that…these men be arrested,’ Merritt said.
Police said Gregory McMichael first saw Arbery ‘hauling ass’ down Santilla Drive before the shooting and thought he had been a burglar that had reportedly been in the area.
McMichael grabbed a .357 magnum and his son armed himself with a shotgun before hopping into their truck to chase Arbery. A third man, who police identified as a neighbor, also was in the truck.
Gregory McMichael told police he shouted at Arbery to stop running and a fight broke out once they caught up to him.
‘McMichael stated the unidentified male began to violently attack Travis and the two men then started fighting over the shotgun at which point Travis fired a shot and a second later there was a second shot,’ police wrote.
Merritt released the video of the shooting Tuesday and said the shooters intended to kill Arbery ‘without any proper justification’ in what he called a ‘modern-day lynching.’
‘They were profiling him, saying he’s a burglar. The only thing they knew was that he was a young black man,’ said civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who is also representing the family.
On Wednesday, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced that it joined the inquiry into Arbery’s death.
‘I’m confident we’ll do justice in this matter,’ said GBI Director Vic Reynolds.