The three men connected to the slaying of Black man Ahmaud Arbery have been officially indicted on murder charges by a Georgia grand jury. The legal action comes weeks after the men were finally placed behind bars for the February tragedy.
Justice x Ahmaud
According to reports, the district attorney in Cobb County, Georgia broke the news on Wednesday.
Gregory McMichael, 64, his son Travis McMichael, 34, and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan, 50, all face allegations of malice and felony murder in the Feb. 23 death of Arbery. Arbery, 25, was fatally shot in the coastal city of Brunswick, Georgia, after he was pursued by the McMichaels. His family said he was out for a jog, while the McMichaels said they thought he was a burglary suspect. Bryan is accused of using his pickup truck in an attempt to box Arbery in. (NBC News)
High-Key Details
In May 2020, music mogul JAY-Z and his Roc Nation team issued a statement on Ahmaud’s death. The hip-hop icon demanded justice for the Arbery family and reacted to two of the three suspects’ arrests.
“The world is now familiar with the story of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old African-American man who, while out jogging in Brunswick, Glynn County, GA, was hunted down and shot to death by two white men, Gregory and Travis McMichael. Their arrest yesterday on charges of murder and aggravated assault – more than two months after Ahmaud’s death – was a positive first step on the long road toward justice. But it only strengthens our resolve to see that justice is eventually served. By now, we’ve all seen the crime’s disturbing video, so the facts here are not in doubt: He was unarmed and innocent and the victim of a hate crime. Which is why we call upon you today, as official leaders of the Great State of Georgia, and with the entire world watching, to ensure that a fair trial is conducted, as that can only lead to the appropriate felony convictions of both McMichaels. We also implore you to charge William Bryan as an armed accomplice to the crime. We truly appreciate that you have arrested and charged these men with Ahmaud’s murder, and are hopeful that a trial and conviction will show that, in the state that gave us Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and has been the site of the best and worst of the Civil Rights movement, Dr. King’s words do ring true: ‘The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.’”
Wait, There’s More
Throughout the same week, social media emerged to stand up for Ahmaud Arbery’s family. Celebrities demanded justice and for the two alleged men responsible for his death to get arrested.
“These two white men killed an unarmed black man jogging down the street in Brunswick , Ga , for nothing and on camera and are not in prison , sh*t crazy !!! ? Rest In Peace Ahmaud Arbery” -2 Chainz’s Instagram
Before You Go
Ahmaud’s family came forward the same week to speak out. Arbery’s parents pushed for legal action including the immediate arrests of the men connected to his death.
The parents of a black man killed in a pursuit by two white men armed with guns called for immediate arrests Wednesday as they faced the prospect of waiting a month or longer before a Georgia grand jury could consider bringing charges. (CBS News)