No BOND has been set for father, son charged in death of south Georgia jogger Ahmaud Arbery.
BRUNSWICK, Ga. – The father and son from Glynn County arrested Thursday evening in connection to the death of Ahmaud Arbery, who was shot and killed while jogging on a residential street in south Georgia back in February, were denied bond at a court appearance on Friday. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested Gregory McMichael, 64, and Travis McMichael, 34, for the death of Arbery. Both are charged with murder and aggravated assault. They were booked into the Glynn County jail Thursday evening. Friday, father and son stood quietly Friday as the judge read murder and aggravated assault charges against them in the fatal shooting of a black man who was running through their Georgia neighborhood. In just a few minutes, their first court appearance was over. It was a moment that many in Ahmaud Arbery’s community had waited more than two months for, as a series of prosecutors declined to bring charges against the men.
Arrests in south Georgia jogger’s death
These are the moments Gregory McMichael, 64, and Travis McMichael, 34, were arrested on Thursday in connection to the death of Ahmaud Arbery, who was shot and killed while jogging on a residential street in south Georgia back in February. The 25-year-old was killed on Feb. 23 along Satilla Drive near Holmes Drive in Glynn County, according to a police report obtained by FOX 5 Atlanta. His family said he was out for a Sunday afternoon jog.
According to an incident report filed by Glynn County police, Arbery was shot after the two men spotted him running in their neighborhood on a Sunday afternoon. Gregory McMichael told police that he and his adult son thought the runner matched the description of someone caught on a security camera committing a recent break-in in the neighborhood. They armed themselves with guns before getting in a truck to pursue him.
Travis McMichael, 34, makes his first appearance before Glynn County judge via video link on May 8, 2020 on charges in connection to the February death of Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, Georgia. (FOX) That was 53 days after the last reported break-in in the Satilla Shores neighborhood, according to police records. FOX 5 Atlanta obtained all reports for such incidents in the neighborhood from December 2019 through mid-March of this year. In all, there were three: December 8, 2019, December 28, and January 1.
On Dec. 8th, a Satilla Shores neighbor reported rifles stolen from their unlocked car. Police records note the incident on the 28th as a “theft.” On January 1, Travis James McMichael filed a report of a firearm stolen from his truck.
Gregory McMichael, 64, makes his first appearance before Glynn County judge via video link on May 8, 2020 on charges in connection to the February death of Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, Georgia. (FOX) The father said his son, Travis McMichael, got out of the truck holding a shotgun, and Arbery “began to violently attack.” He said Arbery was shot as the two men fought over the shotgun, according to the police report. After Arbery was shot, the police report says, Gregory McMichael turned him onto his back to see if he was armed. The report doesn’t say whether he had a weapon, but it was later determined he did not. Arrest warrants for Gregory and Travis McMichael filed in court Friday confirmed, as the initial police report stated, that Travis McMichael “pointed and discharged a shotgun … at Ahmaud Arbery.” But there were no new details. The felony murder charges against the McMichaels mean that a victim was killed during the commission of an underlying felony, in this case aggravated assault. The charge doesn’t require intent to kill. A murder conviction in Georgia carries a minimum sentence of life in prison, either with or without parole.
Map shows the proximity of the City of Atlanta to Brunswick, GA. (FOX 5) The national spotlight had been shown on the case after a cellphone video surfaced reportedly showing the shooting death. The video, initially posted by a Brunswick radio station, 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 man is inside the pickup’s bed, and another 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.
Some of the encounter was apparently recorded in two 911 calls, with a dispatcher trying to understand the problem.
“There’s a black male running down the street,” a caller says.
“I just need to know what he was doing wrong,” the dispatcher responds, in part.
In a second call six minutes later, someone can be heard yelling “Stop. … Dammit. Stop.” Then, after a pause, “Travis!”
GBI press conference on Ahmaud Arbery killing
Members of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation held a press conference on Friday, May 8, following the arrests of a father and son for the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. The 25-year-old was shot and killed while jogging in south Georgia. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation held a news conference Friday morning announcing the arrests on murder and aggravated assault charges. The GBI director said the viral video of the actual shooting was helpful, but he based his case on the evidence. “We based our decisions on two things, one is facts and the other is the law. Whatever the facts are we apply the law. I am very comfortable in telling you there is more than sufficient cause for felony murder, ” the director said with confidence. “All that matters is what the facts tell us,” Reynolds continued, saying “every stone will be uncovered. “Addressing the question of racial intent, Reynolds noted that Georgia has no hate crime law. That has prompted many civil rights activists to call for a federal investigation.
Source: Fox5Atlanta
