Attorneys: DOJ investigating Ahmaud Arbery killing as a possible hate crime

Attorneys for the family of Ahmaud Arbery said Monday that the Justice Department will investigate Arbery's shooting death as a potential hate crime.

Arbery, a 25-year-old black man, was shot and killed on Feb. 23 while jogging through a neighborhood in Glynn County, Georgia. He was unarmed. On May 9, a white father and son — Gregory McMichael, 64, and Travis McMichael, 34 — were arrested and charged with murder and aggravated assault against Arbery.

The shooting was captured on video, and the man who recorded the incident, William Bryan, 50, was arrested last week and charged with felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment. Gregory McMichael told police he and his son followed Arbery because they suspected he was behind a string of burglaries, and claimed Travis McMichael shot Arbery twice after they fought over the son's shotgun.

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The Arbery family lawyers also said the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia will investigate why it took two months for Glynn County and the state of Georgia to make arrests in the case. Gregory McMichael is a retired investigator for Glynn County.