Father And Son Arrested, Charged With Murder In Death Of Ahmaud Arbery

The two men accused of killing Ahmaud Arbery while he was jogging unarmed in Brunswick, Georgia in February were arrested and charged with murder on Thursday. 

Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son Travis McMichael, 34, were each charged with murder and aggravated assault and taken into custody, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) said.

According to the news release, District Attorney Tom Durden formally requested that the GBI investigate Arbery’s death on May 5. 

In a Friday news conference explaining the timeline, GBI Director Vic Reynolds said the agency established probable cause for arrest by 5pm on May 6.  

Reynolds also said the investigation is ongoing and that "every stone will be uncovered."

Graphic video footage taken by a bystander, of Arbery allegedly being pursued and attacked by the two men, was shared on Tuesday and quickly garnered attention. The video release sparked national outrage, with advocacy groups, public figures, and politicians calling for an investigation into the attack, which happened February 23 but had yet to lead to any arrests.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp also expressed dismay over the video during a news conference Thursday.

"Earlier this week, I watched a video depicting Mr. Arbery’s last moments alive. I can tell you, it is absolutely horrific, and Georgians deserve answers," he said, according to a local report.

Durden, who was assigned to the case by the state's attorney general, said on Tuesday that a grand jury should decide whether to file charges, after two prosecutors initially assigned to oversee Arbery’s case had to recuse themselves due to prior professional connections to Gregory McMichael, TIME reported.

Arbery's high school football coach Jason Vaughn has called on people to gather virtually Friday, which would have been Arbery’s 26th birthday, and run for 2.23 miles, representing the date of his death. Vaughn is also asking for runners to document their run and post it to social media with the hashtag #IRunWithMaud.

A trial in the case likely wouldn't be launched until after June 12 at the earliest, as Georgia's jury trials are suspended until then due to the coronavirus pandemic.