Video footage of the incident released this week sparked uproar worldwide.
Father and son Gregory McMichael (64) and Travis McMichael (34) have been arrested and charged in relation to the death of Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed black man who was killed while out jogging in Georgia in February of this year.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) confirmed in a statement on Thursday that the two men had been arrested and charged with murder and aggravated assault. They were taken into custody and will be booked into the Glynn County Jail.
https://twitter.com/GBI_GA/status/1258547834787258368
Arbery (25) was confronted and killed by the McMichaels while out jugging in Brunswick, Georgia on 23 February. During the confrontation, Travis McMichael shot and killed Arbery.
According to a police report issued in the aftermath of the incident, Gregory McMichael claimed he spotted Arbery and believed he resembled the suspect in a series of break-ins, prompting him and his son to pursue him in a pick-up truck.
In the report, McMichael claimed he and his son had said "stop, stop, we want to talk to you" and that Arbery had subsequently attacked Travis McMichael, who fired shots and killed Arbery.
Gregory (left) and Travis (right) McMichael. Images via Georgia Bureau of Investigation
Arbery’s mother claims she was told by police that her son was involved in a burglary before the incident, but his family do not believe he committed a crime, with his father telling PBS NewsHour on Thursday that he believed it was "just a lie and a cover-up".
Earlier this week, nearly three months on, mobile phone footage purporting to show the incident surfaced and prompted uproar in the United States and beyond.
The footage shows a man jogging towards the pick-up truck from behind and attempting to go around it before a struggle ensues with a man carrying a shotgun, while a second man with a shotgun stands in the back of the truck.
Shots can be heard, following which the jogger collapses to the ground in front of the truck.
NBA star LeBron James was amongst many to express anger at the incident on social media this week.
https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1258156220969398272
On Tuesday of this week (5 May), Glynn County Police Department requested that the GBI investigate the public release of video related to Arbery’s death.
GBI confirmed the arrest of Gregory and Travis McMichael on Thursday (7 May).
