3 men charged with federal hate crimes for murder of African-American Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia

A grand jury indicted three Georgia men with federal hate crimes and attempted kidnapping for the death of Ahmaud Arbery , an African American man from 25 Years he was shot while running last year.

Gregory McMichael, by 65 years; his son, Travis McMichael, from 35 years; and William “Roddie” Bryan, from 51 years, they were each charged with a crime of interference in rights and a crime of attempted kidnapping, according to a statement of the Department of Justice.

Arbery died during that encounter on 23 February 2020.

When in May s e leaked and posted online a video that captured the confrontation , sparking widespread outrage, and the investigation of the case was accelerated.

Subsequently, the three men were charged in Georgia state court. They also face charges for state crimes including murder, aggravated battery and false imprisonment. A trial date has not yet been set for that case.

Defenders are upset

Attorneys representing Travis McMichael told the Associated Press that they were upset “because the Justice Department bought the false narrative that the media and prosecutors are such have enacted. ”

“ There is absolutely nothing in the indictment that identifies how this is a federal hate crime and unapologetically ignores that Georgia law allows a citizen detain a person who was committing robberies until the police arrive ”, attorneys said to the AP.

The attorneys for McMichaels have said they went after Arbery, suspecting him to be a burglar, after security cameras had previously recorded him entering a home under construction. They say that Travis McMichael shot Arbery while fearing for his life while fighting for a shotgun.

Local prosecutors stated that Arbery did not steal anything and was simply jogging when the McMichaels and Bryan chased him.

The case is the largest federal civil rights proceeding ever undertaken by the Biden Administration’s Justice Department and comes as federal officials have moved swiftly to open comprehensive investigations into troubled police departments, as civil rights are at the center of government priorities.