The tragic death of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old black man, on February 23, 2020, in Satilla Shores near Brunswick, Glynn County, Georgia, sparked national outrage and ignited debates about racial profiling and justice in America. While the case is primarily known for its racial undertones and the pursuit and killing of Arbery by three white men, the circumstances surrounding the event, including reported burglaries and the involvement of local law enforcement, reveal a complex narrative. This article aims to explore the details of the case, including the actions of the individuals involved, the investigation, and the legal proceedings that followed.
The Incident
Ahmaud Arbery was murdered during what prosecutors argued was a racially motivated hate crime while jogging in Satilla Shores. Three men, Travis McMichael, his father Gregory McMichael, and their neighbor William "Roddie" Bryan, pursued Arbery in their trucks for several minutes, using the vehicles to block his path as he tried to run away. The McMichaels later claimed to police that they assumed he was a burglar. Travis McMichael exited his truck, pointing his weapon at Arbery.
Background: Burglaries and Suspicion
In December 2019 and January 2020, residents of Satilla Shores reported three break-ins or thefts. On December 8, 2019, a resident reported rifles stolen from their unlocked car. Police recorded a theft on December 28, 2019. On February 11, 2020, Travis McMichael called 911 to report a slender six-foot-tall (1.83 m) black man with short hair, wearing red shorts and a white shirt, who was trespassing on the site of a house under construction. Travis said, "I've never seen this guy before in the neighborhood" and that "We've been having a lot of burglaries and break-ins around here lately". He told the dispatcher that he was out in his truck, and that as many as four neighbors were out looking for the man. His father Gregory was one of the people out searching that night, and Gregory and at least one other neighbor were armed. Police responded and searched the house along with a neighbor, but found no one. Surveillance video from that evening showed a man who reportedly looked like Arbery briefly walking in and out of the house under construction.
The 911 Calls and the Chase
Two calls to the Glynn-Brunswick 911 dispatcher were made just before the shooting. In the first, an unidentified male caller said another man was in a house that was "under construction". The 911 dispatcher asked if the man was "breaking into it right now?" The caller replied: "No … it's all open." After the caller said the man was now "running down the street", the dispatcher said police would respond. In the second call, the caller said: "And he's been caught on camera a bunch at night. … Watch that. Stop, damn it! Stop!"
Gregory McMichael said he was in his yard when he saw an unidentified man running by and recognized him from a prior incident "the other night", when he said he saw the man reach into his pants as if for a weapon. He called to his son Travis and said, "The guy is running down the street; let's go". Gregory brought a .357 Magnum revolver, while Travis brought a shotgun in their pickup truck. The McMichaels said they pursued the man because he resembled a suspect in a string of local burglaries. Travis attempted to cut off the man with his truck. The man turned and began "running back in the direction from which he came". Bryan also tried to cut off the man, but failed. Gregory said he saw the unidentified man and yelled: "Stop, stop, we want to talk to you", and that they pulled up to the man, with Travis exiting the truck with the shotgun in hand. Gregory claimed the man "began to violently attack Travis" before two shots were fired.
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The Aftermath and Initial Investigation
The GCPD reached the scene immediately after the fatal shooting. Gregory said he recognized the man from a prior incident "the other night", when he said he saw the man reach into his pants as if for a weapon. He called to his son Travis and said, "The guy is running down the street; let's go". Gregory brought a .357 Magnum revolver, while Travis brought a shotgun in their pickup truck. The McMichaels said they pursued the man because he resembled a suspect in a string of local burglaries.
The report states that Bryan also tried to cut off the man, but failed. Gregory said he saw the unidentified man and yelled: "Stop, stop, we want to talk to you", and that they pulled up to the man, with Travis exiting the truck with the shotgun in hand. Gregory claimed the man "began to violently attack Travis" before two shots were fired. The man died at the scene after "bleeding out", the report concluded.
Autopsy Report
The autopsy report released by the GBI ruled Arbery's death was a homicide caused by three gunshot wounds he sustained "during a struggle for the shotgun" that fired those shots. One gunshot wounded the upper left chest, one gunshot wounded the lower middle chest, and one gunshot caused a "deep, gaping" graze wound to the right wrist.
The Investigation and Recusals
The case started under the jurisdiction of Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney Jackie Johnson. Because Gregory McMichael had previously worked as an investigator in her office, Johnson recused herself from further involvement in the case. On February 27, 2020, the case was transferred by the Georgia Attorney General's Office to the Waycross Judicial Circuit District Attorney's office. On March 8, two Glynn County commissioners accused Johnson, or her office, of preventing the McMichaels' immediate arrest. On May 9, the GCPD said that on February 23 the Brunswick District Attorney's Office "became involved in the investigation." The GCPD said that on February 24, Waycross Judicial Circuit District Attorney George Barnhill told them that the murder of Arbery "was justifiable homicide." According to a memorandum written by Barnhill to the GCPD on April 2, Barnhill gave the GCPD "an initial opinion the day after the shooting" on February 24.
Further Investigation and Legal Proceedings
On April 7, Barnhill wrote to Georgia's Attorney General, Christopher M. Carr, requesting to transfer Arbery's case to another prosecutor and revealed that he had learned "about 3-4 weeks ago" that Arbery had previously been prosecuted by his son, a prosecutor for the Brunswick Circuit District Attorney's Office, in an earlier case. Within hours of the video becoming public, Tom Durden, the district attorney for Georgia's Atlantic Judicial Circuit, said that he would present the case to "the next available grand jury in Glynn County" to decide if charges should be filed. Given the "size and magnitude" of the investigation, Durden requested that the case be reassigned to another prosecutor with a larger staff. Pursuant to Durden's request, the Georgia Attorney General's office reassigned the case on May 11 to the Cobb County District Attorney's Office, led by Joyette M. Holmes. She was the fourth D.A. to take the case.
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Charges and Trial
The Cobb County District Attorney's Office, led by Joyette M. Holmes, brought charges against the defendants. At a hearing in July 2020, the three defendants waived arraignment and pleaded not guilty. The judge ruled that the defense could not introduce evidence of Arbery's prior "bad acts", noting that the McMichaels were unaware of Arbery's past at the time of the murder. He also ruled that the defense could not introduce Arbery's mental health records as evidence, citing Arbery's medical privacy.
The trial of the McMichaels and Bryan in the Superior Court before Judge Walmsley began October 18, 2021, with jury selection. On November 3, 2021, jury selection was completed. The defense struck 11 of 12 prospective black jurors, leaving the one black man from the qualified panel, while the prosecution used all 12 of its allotted strikes on white potential jurors. Prosecutor Linda Dunikoski said the murder of Arbery arose from the defendants' "assumptions and driveway decisions."
Testimony and Evidence
Robert Rash, a Glynn County police officer, testified that he had been searching for Arbery to warn him against trespassing. Ricky Minshew, who was a Glynn County police officer at the time of the murder, testified he was seconds away from the scene at the time of the shots, having responded to a non-emergency report about a "suspicious black male" leaving a home under construction. Minshew said he arrived at the scene seeing Arbery in a pool of blood and heard a "death rattle" from Arbery, but did not render medical attention.
William Duggan, a Glynn County police officer, testified that he came to the scene after hearing a "shots fired" report on his radio. The jury was shown Duggan's body camera and dashboard camera footage, which included graphic video of Arbery's body. Jeff Brandeberry, a Glynn County police officer, testified that he interviewed Gregory McMichael at the scene, who was "pretty amped up" and seemed "a little upset". Parker Marcy, a Glynn County police detective, testified that Gregory told him that he had seen Arbery on surveillance videos shared by a neighbor and "had heard a description of him", but was unsure if he had seen Arbery in person before. Roderic Nohilly, a Glynn County police detective, interviewed Gregory at the police station later in the day of the murder. Nohilly testified that Gregory told him that they "chased [Arbery] around the neighborhood for a bit, but he wasn't winded at all" and that Arbery was "trapped like a rat" in the chase.
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