President Joe Biden views the verdict in the trial involving the death of Ahmaud Arbery as a success.
Three men, Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael and William “Roddie” Bryan, who played a part in the death of Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man who was out on a routine run before being shot to death, were all found guilty of murder by the jury on Nov. 24.
The federal trial is scheduled to start in February 2022, and if convicted on the federal charges, all three men could face life in prison.
Arbery’s case was dormant for months after his killing, as an initial local newspaper report said Arbery died while trying to commit a robbery. Shortly before a video of the killing surfaced nearly two months after his death, the FBI launched an investigation. When a radio station got a hold of the video, the world saw Arbery get trapped between two vehicles before being chased to his literal death.
“Ahmaud Arbery’s killing – witnessed by the world on video – is a devastating reminder of how far we have to go in the fight for racial justice in this country,” Biden’s official statement read. “Mr. Arbery should be here today, celebrating the holidays with his mother, Wanda Cooper Jones, and his father, Marcus Arbery. Nothing can bring Mr. Arbery back to his family and to his community, but the verdict ensures that those who committed this horrible crime will be punished.”
Biden then supported America’s current justice system and denounced racism.
“While the guilty verdicts reflect our justice system doing its job, that alone is not enough,” his statement read. “Instead, we must recommit ourselves to building a future of unity and shared strength, where no one fears violence because of the color of their skin.”
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