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Georgia AG requests federal probe in handling of Ahmaud Arbery case

Posted at 10:53 AM, May 11, 2020
and last updated 2020-05-11 10:55:11-04

ATLANTA, Ga. — Georgia’s attorney general asked the U.S. Department of Justice on Sunday to investigate the handling of the killing of Ahmaud Arbery.

Authorities say Arbery, a black man, died at the hands of two white men in February near the coastal city of Brunswick as he ran through a neighborhood.

No arrests were made until this month. Gregory and Travis McMichael were taken into custody on May 7 and charged with Arbery’s murder.

National outrage over the case swelled last week after video surfaced that appeared to show the shooting.

Attorney General Chris Carr says the family and community deserve answers about the case.

“We are committed to a complete and transparent review of how the Ahmaud Arbery case was handled from the outset,” said Carr. “The family, the community and the state of Georgia deserve answers, and we will work with others in law enforcement at the state and federal level to find those answers.”

The request to the Justice Department includes, but is not limited to, investigation of the communications and discussions by and between the Office of the District Attorney of the Brunswick Judicial Circuit and the Office of the District Attorney of the Waycross Judicial Circuit related to this case.

Also on Sunday, Georgia authorities announced they had arrested a 20-year-old man after investigating an online threat against people protesting Arbery's killing.