The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is now investigating the Feb. 23 shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery, which followed a daytime confrontation with an armed father and son on a neighborhood street in southern Glynn County.
In a brief tweet released late Tuesday night, the GBI said it is investigating the fatal shooting at the request of Liberty County District Attorney Tom Durden.
Durden, who represents the Atlantic Judicial Circuit, announced on Tuesday that he has asked a Glynn County grand jury to consider criminal charges against Travis McMichael, 34, and his father, Gregory McMichael, 64.
The two armed men pursued Arbery for a block in a pickup truck inside the Satilla Shores community, according to a Glynn County police report.
Travis McMichael stepped out of the truck with a shotgun and confronted Arbery, according to the report.
Recently released video supports this account.
A struggle ensued for possession of the gun.
McMichael fired the shotgun three times.
Arbery, 25, stumbled to the street after the third shot and died on the scene.
Gregory McMichael told police he saw Arbery running down the street and suspected him of burglary. He said he went inside the home and called to his son, Travis.
Gregory McMichael grabbed a .357 caliber handgun and Travis McMichael took the shotgun, according to the police report. They hopped in a pickup truck and pursued Arbery, the report said.
The first 911 caller told the dispatcher at 1:09 p.m. that Arbery had stepped inside an open home under construction, then stepped back out and started running down the road, according to 911 tapes.
A second 911 caller at 1:14 p.m.: “There’s a black male running down the road,” according to 911 tapes.
In a short statement released at 10:20 p.m. Tuesday, the GBI said only that it is investigating the shooting at the request of DA Durden.
Arbery’s parents held a video press conference Wednesday morning with their respective lawyers, who called for the immediate arrests of the McMichael men, as well as one other man who they say played a role in the shooting. Attorneys Lee Merritt and Benjamin Crump also suggested the case would be better served on the federal level and treated as a hate crime.
https://thebrunswicknews.com/news/local_news/gbi-now-investigating-shooting-death-of-ahmaud-arbery/article_29b78984-a9ae-552a-90ac-6386052d8440.html