The family of Ahmaud Arbery hosted a vigil and memorial in Statesboro, Georgia, on the one-year anniversary of his violent death in rural Georgia by vigilante civilians.
Arbery’s loved ones attended a memorial on Tuesday evening, Feb. 24, 2021, within the Satilla Shores subdivision, the spot where two White men allegedly killed him as he jogged through the neighborhood on Feb. 23, 2020, according to Fox 5 News.
“It is important to remind people of the origins when it all started,” said Jason Vaughn, organizer of the anniversary events. Vaughn was Arbery’s former high school football coach. “For a long time, it was like we were yelling into the dark, and nobody was listening.”
As rolling out reported previously, three white men — Travis McMichael, his father, Greg McMichael, and their neighbor Roddie Bryan — chased Arbery down and then ambushed him after jumping from their vehicle. A struggle ensued with Arbery being fatally shot twice. All three have relentlessly regurgitated the excuse that they thought Arbery was a person burglarizing homes in the most exclusive White area.
The McMichaels and Bryan have since been arrested and remain remanded to jail on murder and aggravated assault charges.
It took two months to get indictments against the three White men. It wasn’t until the video of the execution-style shooting of Arbery on Bryan’s cellphone on May 5, 2020, was leaked and went viral nationally, that there was major movement on the case. The previous district attorney refused to bring charges.
After the case made national headlines, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over the case and arrested the gunmen soon thereafter and were charged by the replacement DA.
