Three men have been found guilty of killing Ahmaud Arbery as he jogged in a neighbourhood in south Georgia.
In February last year, Greg and Travis McMichael pursued Arbery after seeing him jogging through their neighbourhood in Brunswick. The McMichael’s neighbour William “Roddie” Bryan also joined the chase and recorded Travis McMichael fatally shooting Arbery.
During the trial of Arbery’s death, the McMichaels and Bryan claimed they were acting in self-defence and suspected Arbery – who was unarmed – had been responsible for a burglary in a house which was under construction.
The defendants said they were attempting to make a citizen’s arrest on Arbery, but the prosecution said they had no probable cause to detain the 25-year-old man who was a frequent jogger in the neighbourhood.
The three men have now each been convicted for the murder of Arbery. Travis McMichael – who opened fire on Arbery three times with a pump action shotgun – was found guilty on all nine counts, including charges of malice and felony murder.
Following the killing of Arbery, a wave of racial justice protests were held across the United States.
In closing arguments, lead prosecutor Linda Dunikoski referred to racial bias within the case, saying: “they [the defendants] made their decision to attack Ahmaud Arbery in their driveways, because he was a Black man running down the street.”
Sentencing will take place at a later date and all three face the possibility of life in prison.
[Image by Michael Scott Milner via Shutterstock]