CRIME Georgia: Father & son arrested for murder in death of unarmed black jogger.

[mzkitty]

May 7, 2020

SAVANNAH, Ga. -- Georgia authorities arrested a white father and son Thursday and charged them with murder in the February shooting death of a black man they had pursued in a truck after spotting him running in their neighborhood.

The charges came more than two months after Ahmaud Arbery, 25, was killed on a residential street just outside the port city of Brunswick. National outrage over the case swelled this week after a cellphone video that appeared to show the shooting.

Those close to Arbery celebrated the news, but also expressed frustration at the long wait.

"This should have occurred the day it happened," said Akeem Baker, one of Arbery's close friends in Brunswick. "There's no way without the video this would have occurred. I'm just glad the light's shining very bright on this situation."

Gregory McMichael, 64, previously told police that he and his son chased after Arbery because they suspected him of being a burglar. Arbery's mother, Wanda Cooper Jones, has said she believes her son, a former football player, was just jogging in the Satilla Shores neighborhood before he was killed on a Sunday afternoon.

Benjamin Crump, an attorney for the slain man's father, Marcus Arbery, said it was "outrageous" that it took so long for arrests to be made.

"This is the first step to justice," Crump said in a statement. "This murderous father and son duo took the law into their own hands. It's a travesty of justice that they enjoyed their freedom for 74 days after taking the life of a young black man who was simply jogging."

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced the arrests the day after it began its own investigation at the request of an outside prosecutor. The agency said in a news release that Gregory McMichael and his 34-year-old son, Travis McMichael, had both been jailed on charges of murder and aggravated assault.

The GBI news release said the McMichaels "confronted Arbery with two firearms. During the encounter, Travis McMichael shot and killed Arbery." No other details were immediately released.

It was not immediately known if either of the McMichaels had an attorney who could comment on the charges.

Gregory McMichael served as an investigator for Glynn County District Attorney Jackie Johnson. He retired last year. The connection caused Johnson to recuse herself from the case.

At a news conference before the arrests were announced Thursday, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp told reporters he was confident state investigators would "find the truth."

"Earlier this week, I watched the video depicting Mr. Arbery's last moments alive," Kemp told a news conference in Atlanta. "I can tell you it's absolutely horrific, and Georgians deserve answers."

Gregory McMichael told police he suspected the runner was the same man filmed by a security camera committing a break-in. He and his grown son, Travis McMichael, grabbed guns and began a pursuit in the truck.

The video shows a black man running at a jogging pace on the left side of a road. A truck is parked in the road ahead of him. One of the white men is inside the pickup's bed. The other is standing beside the open driver's side door.

The runner crosses the road to pass the pickup on the passenger side, then crosses back in front of the truck. A gunshot sounds, and the video shows the runner grappling with a man in the street over what appears to be a shotgun or rifle. A second shot can be heard, and the runner can be seen punching the man. A third shot is fired at point-blank range. The runner staggers a few feet and falls face down.

Brunswick defense attorney Alan Tucker identified himself Thursday as the person who shared the video with the radio station. In a statement, Tucker said he wasn't representing anyone involved in the case. He said he released the video "because my community was being ripped apart by erroneous accusations and assumptions."

Tucker did not say how he obtained the video. He did not immediately respond to a phone message or an email.

The outcry over the killing reached the White House, where President Donald Trump offered condolences Thursday to Arbery's family.

"It's a very sad thing," Trump said in the Oval Office, "but I will be given a full report this evening."

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has called Arbery's death a "murder." During an online roundtable Thursday, Biden compared the video to seeing Arbery "lynched before our very eyes."

The outside prosecutor overseeing the case, Tom Durden, had said Monday that he wanted a grand jury to decide whether charges are warranted. With Georgia courts still largely closed because of the coronavirus, the soonest that could happen is mid-June.

Ahmaud Arbery shooting: Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael arrested for murder Georgia jogger caught on video

A white father and son accused of fatally shooting a black man on a residential Georgia street were arrested Thursday and charged with murder and aggravated assault, police said.

abc7.com

Ahmaud shooting video 4:19

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rALli_lx7M


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rALli_lx7M

 

[mzkitty]

Better video. It's the second one down at the link. The first one is apparently another black guy getting shot, but I don't know anything about that one.

DailyNewsf (@DailyNe25683877) | Twitter

The latest Tweets from DailyNewsf (@DailyNe25683877). Breaking News, Latest News, Current News, and Trending news. Worldwide

twitter.com

 

[naturallysweet]

Is this another Treyvon?

 

[mzkitty]

Is this another Treyvon?

I don't think so, he was just a jogger.

 

[changed]

The supposed jogger was actually a suspected burglar of homes in the neighborhood. The videos shown on the media are highly edited. The guy was running on the right side of the pickup, then crosses over and fights with the guy who has the gun (he could have run the other way, but didn't). He tries to take the gun from the guy. He then gets shot.

 

[Tex88]

Even had it been 1000% sure that guy had been the culprit in a series of burglaries, a, it's not a capital crime, and b, damn, man, if I see a guy leaving my house with my TV I'll help him carry it and make sure he doesn't forget the remote because even a single call to my lawyer would cost more than the damn TV and I wanted a bigger one anyway.

 

[mzkitty]

The supposed jogger was actually a suspected burglar of homes in the neighborhood. The videos shown on the media are highly edited. The guy was running on the right side of the pickup, then crosses over and fights with the guy who has the gun (he could have run the other way, but didn't). He tries to take the gun from the guy. He then gets shot.

THEY *thought* he was a burglar. But he had no weapon and he was dressed like a jogger, and what exactly was he carrying that he burgled? He knew that guy had a gun on him. What would YOU do? They were following him. No, these guys are going down for it.

 

[changed]

THEY *thought* he was a burglar. But he had no weapon and he was dressed like a jogger, and what exactly was he carrying that he burgled? He knew that guy had a gun on him. What would YOU do? They were following him. No, these guys are going down for it.

They should have called 911.

 

[mzkitty]

They should have called 911.

Yup. Too late now.

 

[Old Gray Mare]

Looks like he was: Guilty of jogging while black.

Fair use.
Ben Shapiro Reacts to the Killing of Ahmaud Arbery
•May 7, 2020
The Daily Wire

The story of a Georgia man who was killed while on a jog makes national news. Ben Shapiro breaks down what we know so far.

Watch the full episode here: https://bit.ly/3dqUkJz

Watch full episodes of The Ben Shapiro Show here: http://bit.ly/2K2Wsvq

Link to source:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bH-xi6AIQGk&t=21s


Run time: 12:47

 

[naturallysweet]

Apparently this so-called Jogger was 25 miles from his home.

This is treyvon 2.0

 

[mzkitty]

8 May 2020

A father and son have been arrested and charged in the US state of Georgia for the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed black man.

Gregory McMichael, aged 64, and Travis McMichael, aged 34, were detained on Thursday by the state bureau of investigation.

They were both charged with murder and aggravated assault, investigators said in a statement.

Mr Arbery, 25, was jogging in February when he was confronted by the pair.

The failure to bring charges against the McMichaels, who are white, in the weeks after the shooting provoked widespread outrage.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced late on Thursday that both men had been taken into custody.

The bureau said the father and son had confronted Mr Arbery with two firearms, and it was the younger McMichael who shot and killed him.

How did Arbery die?

Mr Arbery was out running in the coastal city of Brunswick early in the afternoon of 23 February.

In a police report, Gregory McMichael says he saw Mr Arbery and believed he resembled the suspect in a series of break-ins.

He and his son armed themselves and pursued him in a pick-up truck.

In the police report, Gregory McMichael says he and his son had said "stop, stop, we want to talk to you" and that Mr Arbery had attacked his son. Shots were fired, with Mr Arbery falling to the street in the Satilla Shores neighbourhood.

Mr Arbery's mother, Wanda Cooper Jones, said police told her her son had been involved in a burglary before the incident, but the family say they do not believe the keen jogger had committed a crime and he was unarmed.

A number of calls were made to the emergency services around the time of the confrontation, CBS reports. In one 911 call, a neighbour said a black man was seen at a home under construction in the area.

When asked what the man was doing now, the caller said "running down the street".

What evidence is there?

Nationwide uproar erupted this week over the case as mobile phone video emerged that appeared to show the shooting.

The footage, reportedly taken by another man in the neighbourhood, purportedly shows the McMichaels waiting for Mr Arbery as he jogs down the road in broad daylight.

The 36-second clip was shot from a vehicle following the pick-up truck said to be involved in the incident.

A man is seen jogging and then approaching the stationary pick-up from behind.

He tries to bypass the truck and then is seen struggling with a man carrying a shotgun. There is muffled shouting and shotgun shots.

A second man is standing in the bed of the pick-up. The second man is then shown with a pistol standing alongside the other armed man with the jogger no longer in view.

What is the Arbery family saying?

The victim's father told PBS Newshour on Thursday that his son exercised in the area daily and stayed across the street at his mother's house.

"I don't know why they racially profile him and done him like that," said Marcus Arbery, "because all he did is work out and ran and just took care of his body, because he had dreams now.

"Now all his dreams are gone, because they took his life for nothing."

Asked about the suggestion that his son could have been implicated in a burglary, Mr Arbery said that was "just a lie and a cover-up".

"The video speaking everything for itself," he said. "Check that lynch mob out."

The family lawyer, Benjamin Crump, said the footage shows a "horrific execution".

The attorney also claimed Gregory McMichael was not initially charged because he had worked as a police officer and a detective for the local district attorney for over 30 years.

Ahmaud Arbery: Father and son charged with murder of US black jogger

Ahmaud Arbery was on a residential street in February when he was confronted by the pair.

www.bbc.com

 

[Milkweed Host]

Murder will be difficult to prove. Arbery is jogging 25 miles from his home and fits the description of
a local burglar. In the video Arbery is clearing attacking the McMichael that is in the street, he is swinging
and grabbing at his firearm. Both Arbery and McMichael disappear to the left of the video with Arbery swinging at
McMichael. Both return and Arbery is still pursuing and swinging at McMichael, grabbing for the firearm. Clearly
Arbery is the agresser.

Litmus test time. We know that McMichael wasn't a LEO, but if he had been one, this would have been called a good shoot.

I wonder if law enforcement arrested both of the McMichaels now was to quiet the Black community.

I'd be surprised if any charge greater that manslaughter resulted from this situation.

 

[greysage]

Avoid the black man. It rarely ends well.

 

[Barry Natchitoches]

Apparently this so-called Jogger was 25 miles from his home.

This is treyvon 2.0

I read somewhere that he lived just a few streets over from where this happened.

But even if he was 25 miles from his home, that does not make this Trayvon 2.0.

I am a runner, or at least I was until my wife’s cancer got so bad.

I run mostly half marathons or 5Ks, but I have run a few full marathons. During my hayday, I would run in all parts of the metropolitan Memphis area, and occasionally would go way out onto remote country roads to run. This is because the best way to train is to run lots of different types of roads. Some roads are flat, some hilly,, some have more than their fair share of pot holes, etc...

if jogging 25 miles from home becomes an excuse to kill a jogger, I know of a lot of joggers who will lie in a pool of blood on our nation’s streets. Because a lot of runners (we really don’t like to be called joggers) do that on a regular basis.

I don’t know for sure what happened any more than the rest of you.

but what I am THINKING might have happened is that this guy went out for a jog, and happened to (innocently enough) jog onto a city street where there had been some burglaries sometime in the recent past.

these two guys - father and son - saw this black jogger, and immediately assumed he was the burglar. Probably for no other reason than he was black and he was running.

They never stopped to notice that he was dressed like a runner. Nor did they notice that he was not carrying anything on him. His hands were empty. I don’t think their intent was to kill an innocent black jogger, but why in the heck were they chasing after him in their truck? they did call 911 - that recording was released to the public yesterday - and they actually reported only that there was a young black man running down the street in their neighborhood. They did not refer to him as a burglar at the time.

I hate to say it, but these guys should have stayed at their own home and minded their own business. The scuffle was not self defense, at least not on the part of Travis and his dad.

They are going to go down for this.

And rightly so, best I can tell.

 

[Satanta]

Color me shocked. Heard about this yesterday and already saw how the article was slanted to make it a "White Supremacist" thing.

Even saw a black person say they would get away with it because of "White Privilege".

Vid I watched showed the guy run to he truck, cut around in front of it and the two men [[Black guy and white guy]] come out from in front fighting for control of the wweapon.

Two shots fired in struggle then black guy trying to pull weapon by barrel pulls the big "Kill your ass" end towards him and the weapon goes off. He stumbles then fallss forward a few feet away.

So, if you are out jogging and some guys show up with guns are you going to run towards them and try to fight for the weapon? Obviously they never saw him coming until he was one them eaning they never saw him.

Hard to be chasing down someone you never saw.

I also replied White Privilege was bullshit and the two would be charged cause they shot a black dude-wouldn't matter if black dude was carrying a severed head and eating the brains-White Privilege means you go to jail anyway.

Two yootoobers-one a black ex-cop and one a JFK Liberal both say the story is bullshit and not being told except to slant it-apparently the b.s. still works with some people-just read this thread.

 

[Melodi]

If they shot a man breaking and entering their home - while it was happening that's one thing - but hunting the guy down even IF he actually IS the thief (which is debatable) makes them the bad guys and they will likely spend the rest of their lives in prison for it (or worse).

Bad decisions have consequences.

 

[fairywell]

IMO, the father and son should be charged with murder. They "thought", Arbery matched the description of "the burglar". They took a life based on suspicions. They are more of a threat to the community than a "burglar". To me, it does not matter whether Arbery was truly the suspected burglar or not. The two McMichael clowns should be tried as murderers and pay the consequences for their actions.

 

[bassgirl]

Annnnd....here is the next 24/7 Political year news talking fest to saturate your brains until the election. Biden needs a detractor from how lame he is. So lets put up a racial hot button topic.

What I see on the vid is horrendous. What clearly looks like white on black shooting. And very well maybe, if so, they deserve prison.

But there is so much of this narrative around politcal election times that I don't trust any of the media ever again on any of it. For one thing the truck is parked well ahead of the the guy. He is actually running towards it. Why? They get out for no apparent reason to hassle this guy. Why? Did they just decide to wait on the side of the road foe the first black male who comes along? Why? In broad daylight. Why?
normally I avoid these threads like the plague because they serve no purpose than to stir up racial anger and hatred.

Yes the killing of blacks is WRONG. But make it political is BS. Every election year we have to sit thru this BS. This should be dealt with daily, always until it stops. Not just the political year spotlight. I smell a Democratic lets get the focus off Schiff for brains and Biden shiff for Brains. And I refuse to get swayed by this BS news anymore.

 

[Dennis Olson]

This was not a good shoot. These guys were vigilantes, and had no direct evidence that he was the burglar. If a couple of knuckle-dragging yahoos come up to me with guns I’d try to run like hell. This is pretty far from Trayvon 2.0.

 

[Altura Ct.]

Annnnd....here is the next 24/7 Political year news talking fest to saturate your brains until the election. Biden needs a detractor from how lame he is. So lets put up a racial hot button topic.

What I see on the vid is horrendous. What clearly looks like white on black shooting. And very well maybe, if so, they deserve prison.

But there is so much of this narrative around politcal election times that I don't trust any of the media ever again on any of it. For one thing the truck is parked well ahead of the the guy. He is actually running towards it. Why? They get out for no apparent reason to hassle this guy. Why? Did they just decide to wait on the side of the road foe the first black male who comes along? Why? In broad daylight. Why?
normally I avoid these threads like the plague because they serve no purpose than to stir up racial anger and hatred.

Yes the killing of blacks is WRONG. But make it political is BS. Every election year we have to sit thru this BS. This should be dealt with daily, always until it stops. Not just the political year spotlight. I smell a Democratic lets get the focus off Schiff for brains and Biden shiff for Brains. And I refuse to get swayed by this BS news anymore.

Good post and points. And of course many people are running around in circles lead by the MSM without knowing yet exactly what happened only on what the press is reporting. Murder? maybe, racial? maybe, but so what? Murder happens multiple times everyday in this nation and yet we never hear anything about it. As tragic as this may prove to be the main point of all this reporting is to beat whites into submission and keep them inline. By the same MSM that brought us Michael Brown and Skittles et al. The same MSM that could give two craps about the black on black murder rate.

I would add:

Yes the killing of blacks is WRONG.

No more so then blacks killing whites and the MSM would never sensationalize that. If the MSM would ever report honestly on black violent crime many whites would be appalled

 

[20Gauge]

Is this another Treyvon?

The local radio is trying to make it so.

I need to move. This is just a few miles from here.

The video does not match the reports we got previously.

 

[Hognutz]

The supposed jogger was actually a suspected burglar of homes in the neighborhood. The videos shown on the media are highly edited. The guy was running on the right side of the pickup, then crosses over and fights with the guy who has the gun (he could have run the other way, but didn't). He tries to take the gun from the guy. He then gets shot.

Burglar what I heard...

 

[Luddite]

Burglar what I heard...View attachment 196148

^^^^Now That's Funny!

I don't care what color he was. I don't care what color the two shooters were.

1) You don't go chasin' somebody like you're gomer pyle doin' a Citizens Arrest.
2) The dead guy had a fight or flight choice. I'm not sure you can blame him for attempting to take a gun from some dude that is chasing him. Who knows, I may have felt my chances were better doing the same thing.

3) 99 percent of all these shit-show shootings involve too much emotion and too little brain power.

4) I hate seeing race used as a weapon or excuse in any instance. These two dudes were dumb, the runner was unlucky.

No more info will change my mind. jmo

 

[Dennis Olson]

Murder? maybe, racial? maybe, but so what?

REALLY? So you’re condoning murder now? Good to know what kind of person you are.

The dead guy had a fight or flight choice. I'm not sure you can blame him for attempting to take a gun from some dude that is chasing him. Who knows, I may have felt my chances were better doing the same thing.

THIS


I don’t care about the skin pigmentation involved. Private citizens don’t get to drive up on someone while armed and threaten them. They had zero authority to do so. They deserve the full ride for this incident.

 

[Altura Ct.]

REALLY? So you’re condoning murder now? Good to know what kind of person you are.

Where did I condone murder? Besides this is not about murder but about racial directive and control

 

[Dennis Olson]

I quoted your own words: SO WHAT

Don’t even TRY to weasel out.

 

[Raggedyman]

Where did I condone murder? Besides this is not about murder but about racial directive and control

EXACTLY​

were it NOT about "racial directive and control" we would not be hearing about it over and OVER and OVER again. I would add only one thing to these statements . . . "racial directive and divide and control . . .

ETA: let em steal some from LUDDITE:
"I hate seeing race used as a weapon or excuse in any instance."

 

[Mikiekimi]

These two idiot vigilantes will be quite popular when they're serving time...

 

[mzkitty]

EXACTLY​

were it NOT about "racial directive and control" we would not be hearing about it over and OVER and OVER again. I would add only one thing to these statements . . . "racial directive and divide and control . . .

ETA: let em steal some from LUDDITE:
"I hate seeing race used as a weapon or excuse in any instance."

No, it's not about that, although many people will try to make it about that.

Over several months this festered, from when it first happened, and there were no charges brought. People got upset about that, and then when the video came out (just a couple of days ago), well........ then it's more than about just words or BLACK. It's about hunting a guy down and killing him.

Read this:

Murder of Ahmaud Arbery - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Altura Ct.]

I quoted your own words: SO WHAT

Don’t even TRY to weasel out.

I'm not weaseling out of anything but you obviously have a reading comprehension and emotional problem. This whole narrative is not about murder per se but about racial BS. Just like Trayvon, Micheal Brown and many others that the press runs with stirs people up and people like you run with hook, line and sinker.

 

[Dennis Olson]

Your own words condemn you. You must have some kind of mental problem.

 

[Raggedyman]

I'm not weaseling out of anything but you obviously have a reading comprehension and emotional problem. This whole narrative is not about murder per se but about racial BS. Just like Trayvon, Micheal Brown and many others that the press runs with stirs people up and people like you run with hook, line and sinker.

yea 'cuz THAT never HAPPENS . . . well almost never . . . or almost never FREQUENTLY . . . or almost never ALL THE TIME . . .

 

[naturallysweet]

How he is dressed is not an alibi. Dressing for burglary means one dresses to fit into the neighborhood.

How could they chase him down and have him run Behind the truck? Were they driving backwards? Then instead of continuing to jog, he assaulted the man on the ground and tried to take his gun.

It's more of a Michael Brown 2.

If the shooters were black then no one would have heard about this. which means the victims of racism here are the ones arrested. Good luck getting them an impartial jury. The prosecution is going to try to make sure there are 12 angry black people on the jury.

 

[Dennis Olson]

Once one discards all the emotions on this,
The FACTS are:

The men were not sworn officers. The limit of their actions (legally) was to follow the man and call the police. That’s it But they didn’t do that. They had NO AUTHORITY to confront him or hold him at gunpoint. None.

 

[Bax333]

The father and son should have called 911 and let the police handle it. Would have saved themselves a lot
of grief.

With that being said I will hold onto any tears I would have shed for Arbery until the thousands of whites who are murdered by blacks in this country get the same amount of press.

Call me a racist and I couldn't care less but I would like to thank the brainwashed masses of Whites who have turned our country into a third world shithole. The Boomers in their infinite wisdom fought to end segregation and champion the ridiculous notion that all races are the same. They then doubled down by bringing every third world POS into our country.
At any other time in the history of the world you would be looked at as traitors to your country and your people. It is only now that we are in the End Times that you are so delusional as to believe you are doing right. I hope you enjoy your delusions as I don't believe God is going to appreciate you participating in the genocide of your own race.

Flame away.

 

[Altura Ct.]

It appears I have been locked out of the thread - Georgia: Father & son arrested for murder in death of unarmed black jogger as it says I have no posting privileges but for any who are interested here is a letter from the Georgia DA who initially investigated this whole matter. While it may yet prove that murder is involved the current state of affairs just like with Trayvon, M. Brown and many others has been driven to an emotional crescendo that at this moment is almost emotional & purely racial in nature. From the same MSM who is otherwise untrustworthy and full of 'fake news'. The same MSM who would never report in this way on black on white crime.

https://int.nyt.com/data/documenthelper/6916-george-barnhill-letter-to-glyn/b52fa09cdc974b970b79/optimized/full.pdf#page=1

OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY
WAYCROSS JUDICIAL CIRCUIT


George E . Barnhill 306 AlbanyAvenue (912) 287- 4395
District Attorney Waycross, Georgia 31501 FAX (912) 287 -4399



Captain Tom Jump
Glynn County Police Department
Investigation Division
157 Public Safety Blvd .
Brunswick , GA 31525

Email: tjump @ glynncounty- ga.gov

Ref: Glynn County , The Shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery , Feb 23rd , 2020

Dear Captain Jump:

My office received the Arbery autopsy report [dated 4 / /2020 yesterday and have reviewed it
yesterday and this morning. We were waiting on this important evidentiary article before
finalizing our opinions .

However, since we were initially requested to handle the case the victim s motherhas clearly
expressed shewantsmyself andmy office off the case. She sees a conflict in thatmy son works
in the Brunswick District Attorney ' s Office where Greg McMichael retired some time ago . She
believes there are kinships between the parties [ there are not and has made other unfounded
allegations of bias [ es ]. As such , I believe it is better formy office to step out and am going to
recuse myself and the Assistants working forme from handling the case. I am contacting the
Georgia Attorney General Office and seeking their assistance in finding another District
Attorney in the State to handle the further evaluation for prosecution this case. That is , to
determine whether there is sufficient evidence on which to make a Grand Jury presentation or
not

Given theGovernor' s current shelter in place order and JusticeMelton s Judicial Emergency
Order; I can not venture a guess as to when they will move on this request, and once another is
found; when that District Attorney will have the staff available to review this casefile. I hope
for all involved itwillmove along as quickly as possible.

3
After talkingby telephone with you yesterday , I appreciate there is immediate pressure on your
department as to the issue of Arrest” . Since I have already given you an initial opinion the day
after the shooting, I feel I can still comment on this limited issue.

First
I am the current elected District Attorney for the Waycross Circuit, I have worked as a criminal
prosecutor for some 36 years. As an Assistant District Attorney in Waycross and Brunswick , as
Chief Assistant in Waycross for 20 years and served as the District Attorney the last 5 years ; I
have been actively involved in over 100murder cases and assisted other prosecutors with at least
100 more. I have no idea how many Aggravated Assault cases involving gunshots and wounds
of alltypes; Plus I have attended countless schools, classes and seminars on criminal
prosecution and criminal acts and evidence. Myself and one ofmy Senior Trial Attorneys have
reviewed the evidence extensively and concur on allpoints.

Second
As to the case at hand: It is my professional belief the autopsy confirms what we had already
viewed as shown in the video tape, with the photographs & from the witness statements taken
immediately at the scene. The autopsy supports the initial opinion we gave you on February
24th , 2020 at the briefing room in the Glynn County Police Department after reviewing the
evidence you had at that time. Wedo not see grounds for an arrest of any of the three parties.

Third
Itappears Travis McMichael, Greg McMichael, and Bryan William were following, in
pursuit burglary suspect, with solid firsthand probable cause, in theirneighborhood, and
asking/ tellinghim to stop. Itappearstheir intentwas to stop and hold this criminal suspectuntil
law enforcement arrived. UnderGeorgia Law this is perfectly legal,
OCGA 17 -4 -60 A private person may arrest an offender if the offense is committed in his presence or within his
immediate knowledge . If the offense is a felony and the offender is escaping or attempting to escape, a private
person may arresthim upon reasonable and probable grounds of suspicion .”

Fourth
It clearly appears Travis McMichael and Greg McMichaelhad firearmsbeing carried in an open
fashion . The investigation shows neither of them to be convicted felons or under felony
supervision , they were in a motor vehicle owned by Travis McMichael. Under Georgia Law
this is legalopen carry .

OCGA 16- 11- 126
) Any person who is notprohibitedby law from possessing a handgun or longgun may have or carry on his or her
person a weapon or long gun on his or herproperty or insidehis orher home, motor vehicle, or place of business
withouta valid weaponscarry license.
(b ) Any personwho isnotprohibited by law from possessing a handgun or long gun may haveor carry on his or her
person a long gun withouta valid weapons carry license, provided thatifthe long gun is loaded, it shall only be
carried in an open and fully exposedmanner.”


2 of 3
Fifth
The video made by William Bryan clearly shows the shooting in realtime. From said video it
appears Ahmaud Arbery was running along the right side of the McMichael truck then abruptly
turns 90 degrees to the left and attacks Travis McMichael who was standing at the front left
corner ofthe truck . A brief skirmish ensues in which it appear Arbery strikes McMichael and
appears to grab the shotgun and pull it from McMichael The shot is through Arbery s right
hand palm which is consistent with him grabbing and pulling the shotgun at the barrel tip , the
2nd and 3rd wounds are consistent with the struggle for the shotgun as depicted in the video , the
angle of the 2nd shot with the rear of the buttstock being pushed away and down from the fight
are also consistent with the upward angle of blood plume shown in the video and that McMichael
was attempting to push the gun away from Arbery while Arbery was pulling it toward himself.
The 3rd shot too appears to be in a struggle over the gun . The angle of the shots and the video
show this was from the beginning or almost immediately became-- a fight over the shotgun .
Given the fact Arbery initiated the fight, at the point Arbery grabbed the shotgun, under Georgia
Law , McMichael was allowed to use deadly force to protect himself.
Just as importantly, while we know McMichael had his finger on the trigger, we do not know
who caused the firings. Arbery would only had to pull the shotgun approximately 1/ 16th to
1/ 8th of one inch to fire weapon himself and in the height of an altercation this is entirely
possible . Arbery s mentalhealth records & prior convictions help explain his apparent
aggressive nature and his possible thought pattern to attack an armed man .

OCGA 16 - 3- 21Use of Force in Defense, once confronted with a deadly force situation an individualis allowed to use
deadly force to defend themselves or others OCGA 16 - 3- 23 . 1Georgia' s NoDuty to RetreatLaw , an individualis
notrequired to back away from or submit to an attack; OCGA 16 - 3- 24 [b ] The useof force which is intended or
likely to cause death or greatbodily harm to preventtrespass on or other tortious or criminal interferencewith real
property other than a habitation or personal property is notjustified unless the person using such force reasonably
believes that it is necessary to preventthe commission of a forcible felony.
OCGA 16 - 3- 24 .2 A person properly and legally defending themselvesis immune from prosecution


For the above and foregoing reasons, itis our conclusion there is insufficient probable cause to
issue arrestwarrants at this time.

As to any further issues on whether to presentthis to a Glynn County Grand jury, that willhave
to wait for the next District Attorney s review . Please consider this an OPEN file until that
decision is madeand restrict the release of any information under Georgia Open Records
Act requests.

Sincerely




George E . Barnhill
District Attorney
Waycross Judicial Circuit

 

[mzkitty]

This is not about the overall race crime/relations here in the US. It's about one man in one instance, period.

*snip*

Atlanta civil rights attorney L. Chris Stewart said this case does not fit the proper description of a citizen's arrest.

Georgia's citizen's arrest law requires that the offender must have committed a crime in the presence of another person, or that person must have "immediate knowledge" of a crime that has taken place by the perpetrator.

Stewart said that to see a black man jogging down the street and assume he's a criminal, grab guns and chase him down is ridiculous.

"It's insanity to even attempt to try and call that citizen's arrest," Stewart said.

Breaking Down Georgia's Citizen's Arrest Law After Ahmaud Arbery Fatal Shooting

Two men who shot and killed an unarmed black jogger in Coastal Georgia said they did so in accordance with Georgia's citizen's arrest law.

www.gpbnews.org

 

[WalknTrot]

Looks like there's enough there to charge them. Grand Jury is a good first step...then let a jury of their peers sort it all out in court.

 

[Cardinal]

Well then, if all of this evidence comes out in court, the two will be acquitted...unless the jury is black.