The relatives of a black man who was shot while jogging in southeast Georgia by white men who chased him believing he was a burglar said Thursday they're discouraged by the lack of charges in the case.
Ahmaud Arbery's relatives says the 25-year-old was a victim of "racial violence."
Arbery was killed in Brunswick, a coastal city about midway between Savannah and Jacksonville, Fla., on Feb. 23 as he was jogging through the quiet neighborhood of Satilla Shores.
The two men who chased down Arbery, identified by police as Brunswick resident Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son Travis McMichael, 34, have not been charged and the investigation is ongoing.
"I'm feeling very discouraged at this point," the victim's mother Wanda Cooper told reporters. "The tragedy happened back in February ... and there still has not been an arrest."
The case has been referred to District Attorney Thomas Durden, based in Hinesville 70 miles away due to concerns over a potential conflict of interest. Gregory McMichael is a retired investigator for the local prosecutor, in Brunswick.
The case was briefly in the hands of DA George Barnhill, based in Waycross, but he recused himself because his son works for prosecutors in Brunswick.
But in a memo from Barnhill to police, the DA said he believes Gregory and Travis McMichael should not be indicted. He said the father and son had "probable cause" to believe the victim might be a burglar and were within their rights to arm themselves and chase him down.
The prosecutor said video footage of the shooting, made by a neighbor, shows Arbery to be the aggressor.
"Given the fact Arbery initiated the fight, at the point Arbery grabbed the shotgun, under Georgia Law, McMichael was allowed to use deadly force to protect himself," according to the memo, reported in the New York Times.
A Glynn County police spokesman declined comment on CONTINUE READING ON YAHOO NEWS
0 comments:
Post a Comment