On February 23, 2020 Ahmaud Marquez Arbrey, a 25year old African-American boy, was confronted and fatally shot while jogging near Brunswick, Georgia. Ahmaud was pursued by three white men who were residents of the area where Ahmaud lived and his father, Gregory. The white men, who were associated with the local district attorney’s office were armed and driving a pick-up truck. A man named William Roddie followed Arbery in a second vehicle recorded the incident of murder. Ahmaud was confronted and killed by gunshots fired by Travis McMichael.
The killing of Ahmaud Arbery and the delayed process of investigation and arrest of the suspects sparked heated debates about the lack of racial equality in the United States of America. Since then, the case has been widely reported.
At the behest of Gregory McMichael, a locally known attorney provided a copy of the video taken during the shooting to a local radio station known as the WGIG, who posted it to their website on May 5, 2020. The pair had thought the video of them killing a man who was jogging would exonerate the men. The video went viral and was also posted on YouTube and Twitter, respectively. Within a few hours, the District attorney Tom Durden said that the grand jury would decide whether charges would be brought and accepted an offer from Governor Brian Kemp to investigate the case investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).
The GBI arrested McMichaels on May 7 and Bryan on May 21, and both were charged with a felony murder along with other crimes. On June 4, there was a presentation of some additional evidence by the prosecutor to support the murder charges.
After 74 days since the killing happened, McMichaels had not been arrested, which created debates on racial profiling in the United States. Numerous religious leaders, politicians, and athletes condemned the incidence. The GCPD, together with the Brunswick District Attorney’s Office, were nationally criticized for their handling of the case and the delayed arrests.
