Father and son arrested, charged with murder in shooting of Ahmaud Arbery

Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son Travis McMichael, 34, were arrested on Thursday for the deadly shooting of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced. They have been charged with murder and aggravated assault.

On Feb. 23, Arbery was jogging through a a Glynn County neighborhood when the armed McMichaels pursued him in a pickup truck. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said the father and son confronted Arbery with "two firearms" and "during the encounter, Travis McMichael shot and killed Arbery." Video of the shooting was posted online this week.

Gregory McMichael claimed during an interview with police that they chased Arbery because they thought he was behind a string of burglaries in the neighborhood. No evidence has been presented showing Arbery was involved in any burglaries.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Gregory McMichael, now retired, was an investigator for Glynn County District Attorney Jackie Johnson, who recused herself from the case. The case has received national attention, in part because the McMichaels are white and Arbery black, and an earlier prosecutor had advised no charges in the case. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said it would open an investigation into the shooting after the video became public.