U.S. News

Public Outrage Mounts After Tape Released of Georgia Killing

Two Shooters Arrested After Killing Ahmaud Arbery While Jogging in Georgia

Reporter Tyler Bagent

On February 23, 2020, a Georgia father and son shot and killed Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old unarmed African-American man. This killing, and the mishandling of it, has brought upon national backlash against the Glynn County Police Department in Georgia. It has started a national conversation of race relations in this country, with several celebrities and politicians joining the calls for changes and reforms.

What brought upon this backlash was the release of a video of the February murder, sent to WGIG from Greg McMichael, one of the killers. Once the video reached YouTube and Twitter, it spread like wildfire, sparking calls for justice. These calls for justice sped up a nearly two-month ongoing case. Previously, internal issues with the GCPD (Glynn County, Georgia) had put a hold on the case. These include a change in attorneys overseeing the case, the second attorney having a connection to the McMichael’s. Before their recusals, both attorneys in charge of the case stated there should be no charges. Both of them had previously said that the actions of the McMichaels were “perfectly legal.” Both of the McMichael’s have claimed they attacked and killed Arbery because they believed he was responsible for several thefts and breaking-and-enterings in the area.

As it stands now, little progress has been made in the case against Greg and Travis McMichael. However, the case is moving slowly but steadily. Both of the killers are being held in Glynn County Jail, with one court appearance being held with no bail being set as of today. It remains unclear whether there will be more arrests made, with the possibility of the person who videotaped the crime being involved. The date for the trial has not been set as of now, as the current state Supreme Court Coronavirus restrictions do not allow for a grand jury to be present.

Organizations such as Black Lives Matter have come forward in support of Ahmaud Arbery, with some pointing out the fact that Greg McMichael is a former police officer for GCPD and former district attorney, further deepening the divide between police departments and African-American communities. It remains to be seen how far the effects of this crime and trial will go, but regardless of the outcome of this trial, race relations in this country have undoubtedly been impacted by this killing.