The Georgia Bureau of Investigation finally arrested a White father and son in the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery.
Greg McMichael, 64, and his son, Travis McMichael, 34, were taken into custody at their homes in Brunswick, Georgia, on Thursday evening, May 7, 2020. The two have been charged with aggravated assault and murder and are currently in the Glynn County Jail being held without bond.
On Friday morning, May 8, the GBI held a press conference at 1 Conservation Way in Brunswick to discuss the case, which has garnered national attention.
“I will tell you that we base our decisions on two things: one are facts and the other is the law,” GBI Director Vic Reynolds said. “Whatever the facts are, we apply the law to it. If the law says what the facts are is felony murder, then we take the warrants for it. I’m very comfortable in telling you that there’s more than sufficient probable cause in this case for fulfilling an order.”
On Feb. 23, 2020, Arbery was killed while jogging a few miles from his Brunswick home after he passed the predominately White neighborhood of Satilla Shores.
Greg and Travis McMichael stalked Arbery as if he were prey, claiming that he looked like someone who had been breaking into homes in the neighborhood. Arbery, who was unarmed, was shot and killed after he was confronted by the McMichaels. For 74 days, neither was charged with a crime.
A video of the fatal encounter was released earlier this week, sparking national outrage and protests. Many have questioned why it took so long for the McMichaels to be arrested.
“I can only tell you what happened since Tuesday [May 5] at 9:30 a.m. when we got involved,” Reynolds said during the press conference. “You know the video was already out. We saw it, we reviewed the rest of the file, and we made the arrest. … Sometimes it isn’t a perfect world, so we have to deal with a situation as is placed in front of us.”
After the press conference on Friday, which would have been Arbery’s 26th birthday, his family and their supporters celebrated his life and rallied at the Glynn County Courthouse in Brunswick.
