The shooting death of a Black former football standout allegedly at the hands of an ex-Georgia cop and his son attracted the attention of former Vice President Joe Biden and other Democratic politicians Tuesday. That same day an attorney in the case released gut-wrenching video of the moments leading up to Ahmaud Arbery’s death.
“The video is clear: Ahmaud Arbery was killed in cold blood,” Biden tweeted. “My heart goes out to his family, who deserve justice and deserve it now. It is time for a swift, full, and transparent investigation into his murder.”
Arbery’s family attorney Lee Merritt said the 25-year-old was unarmed at the time of the shooting Feb. 23 in coastal Georgia’s Satilla Shores community. Ex-police officer Gregory McMichael and his son Travis McMichael “saw him, got their guns, got in a truck, chased him down, pulled up next to him, shot him at least two times, and killed him right there on the spot,” according to a petition to get the men arrested.
“When Gregory saw Ahmaud running in his neighborhood, Satilla Shores, a predominately white community, he and his son immediately armed themselves with a shotgun and a 357 magnum, hopped into their pickup truck, chased him down and shot him,” petitioners said on the website.
Despite the video, it took prosecutors more than two months to even recommend charges in the case. Gregory McMichael also being a retired investigator for the local district attorney’s office, two local district attorneys recused themselves from the investigation, creating the need for a special prosecutor to step in. That prosecutor was District Attorney Pro Tempore Tom Durden, he said in a news release Tuesday.
Vic Reynolds, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, said he offered his agency's assistance in the investigation Tuesday night and Durden "quickly accepted" the offer and asked the GBI to get involved. "Some of you may not realize but the GBI can only become involved in a matter when asked by the local authorities," Reynolds said. Local authorities hadn’t before asked, the GBI said in an earlier tweet.
“I am of the opinion that the case should be presented to the grand jury of Glynn County for consideration of criminal charges,” Durden said in his later statement, partly blaming the coronavirus pandemic for expected delays. He added: "I have no control over the suspensions due to the pandemic; however, I do intend to present the case to the next available grand jury in Glynn County.”
Merritt and activists across the country are not only advocating for the arrest of those involved but also for the FBI to bring hate crime charges against Gregory and Travis. "Tom Durden is the DA tasked with giving justice to this community. He says his hands are tied b/c due to the coronavirus. That is a lie,” Merritt tweeted Wednesday. “Durden can indict these men directly without a grand jury."
More than 100 protesters took to the streets in Georgia Tuesday night to advocate for justice in the case, according to CBS. Arbery's mother, Wanda Cooper, told the news show she hopes the video proves her son was not committing a crime. "He was out for his daily jog, and he was hunted down like an animal and killed,” she said.
Sen. Kamala Harris said the footage of Arbery’s shooting “sickens me to my core.” “Exercising while Black shouldn't be a death sentence,” she said in a tweet. Sen. Cory Booker called on the Department of Justice to investigate. “This is tragic and unacceptable,” he said. “It should ignite us all in demands for justice.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren tweeted: “Ahmaud Arbery was just out for a jog—and he was gunned down. This video is deeply sickening, and the fact that no action has been taken after two months is unacceptable. Ahmaud’s friends and family deserve accountability and justice.”
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