A Georgia district attorney is recommending that the case of a man who was chased, shot and killed while running more than two months ago go to a grand jury, according to a news release obtained by CNN.
Ahmaud Arbery, 25, was jogging in a Brunswick neighborhood February 23 when a former police officer and his son chased him down, telling officers later that they thought he looked like the suspect in a series of recent break-ins in the area, authorities said.
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Rev. Al Sharpton: “NAN and I are closely following this case and we will apply pressure until this case is fully investigated and those responsible are held to account for their acts that led to the killing of unarmed Ahmaud Arbery while he was jogging. Justice delayed is justice denied and we are vigorously pursuing for all parties to be held accountable for the death of Ahmaud. We demand an impartial investigation over racial profiling as one of the perpetrators should not be granted immunity because he is a former law enforcement officer.”
Family’s Attorney S. Lee Merritt: “The family of Ahmaud Arbery is relieved to receive the support of the NAN under the leadership of Rev. Al Sharpton. NAN will be working closely with our attorneys to ensure Gregory McMichael and Travis McMichael are vigorously prosecuted and appropriately sentenced. Our attention now turns to DA Tom Durden of Liberty County, GA where the case has been referred. Mr. Durden has held this file since April 22. He has not met with the Arbery family nor requested the assistance of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) in the handling of the case. As the DA for Liberty County, Mr. Durden likely shares similar conflicts that required two other county DAs to recuse themselves from this case. As such, we are demanding that Mr. Durden turn this file over to an independent special prosecutor. We are also calling for a prompt DOJ investigation into this shooting. We believe Mr. Arbery’s murder qualifies as a hate crime and should be reviewed under The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act 28 U.S.C. § 994 note Sec. 280003.”
James “Major” Woodall, state president, Georgia NAACP: “While we acknowledge District Attorney Tom Durden’s intentions to convene a grand jury to bring charges against the men who gunned down Ahmaud Arbery, we recognize that we have a long way to go until we reach justice. The modern-day lynching of Mr. Arbery is yet another reminder of the vile and wicked racism that persists in parts of our country. The slothfulness and inaction of D.A. Jackie Johnson of the Brunswick Judicial Circuit and George Barnhill of the Waycross Judicial Circuit are a gross testament to the mismanagement of the judicial process in the Brunswick community. We will not rest until the murderers of Ahmaud are behind bars, and Jackie Johnson, along with George Barnhill, are removed from office.”