Surveillance video recorded minutes before the slaying of a jogger that has sent ripples of shock across the nation proves the Georgia man was not involved in a crime, attorneys for Ahmaud Arbery’s …
Surveillance video recorded minutes before the slaying of a jogger that has sent ripples of shock across the nation proves the Georgia man was not involved in a crime, attorneys for Ahmaud Arbery’s family say.
An individual believed to be Arbery was seen at a property under construction for less than 3 minutes – and did nothing illegal – before being ambushed a short while later, lawyers said in a statement Saturday night.
The surveillance video was «consistent with the evidence already known to us» that Arbery made a brief stop at the site while out for a run and «engaged in no illegal activity,» they said.
«Ahmaud did not take anything from the construction site. He did not cause any damage to the property,» the attorneys said. «He remained for a brief period of time and was not instructed by anyone to leave but rather left on his own accord to continue his jog. Ahmaud’s actions at this empty home under construction were in no way a felony under Georgia law.»
Arbery,25, was killed Feb.23 about two miles from his home in a neighborhood outside Brunswick. Two men, a father and son, were arrested last week on murder and aggravated assault charges.
The original decision not to make an arrest triggered a tsunami of outrage that Arbery was racially profiled after an initial video of the incident surfaced on social media in recent weeks.
Gregory McMichael told police he and his son, Travis, saw Arbery running and believed he was a burglary suspect. McMichael said the two armed themselves and pursued Arbery in their truck. The two told police Arbery attacked them after one of them got out of the truck with a shotgun.
The new surveillance video confirmed that Arbery’s slaying «was not justified, and the actions of the men who pursued him and ambushed him were unjustified,» the lawyers said in the statement. «We reiterate, Ahmaud Arbery did not take part in ANY felony, had no illegal substances in his system, was not armed yet was shot three times with a shotgun at close range.
