Georgia Preps As 3 Charged In Ahmaud Arbery Killing Have Hearing Thursday

TOPLINE

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has said the state will do “whatever is necessary to keep the peace” as the three men charged in the vigilante-style killing of Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed black man, on Feb. 23 will have their first in-person court hearing in the case on Thursday morning.

KEY FACTS

KEY BACKGROUND

Outrage over Arbery’s killing has spilled over into protests following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer held his knee on Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes, ignoring pleas from the subdued Floyd saying that he couldn’t breathe.

The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating whether to bring federal hate crime charges in the case, after Georgia’s attorney general requested the investigation. All members of Georgia’s delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives—made up of seven Republicans and four Democrats—also sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General William Barr last month asking for the federal government to “provide strong assistance.” 

CRITICAL QUOTE

“We’re in a very precarious point right now, because you have one or two people who are going to cause an instance like you’ve seen in other states when somebody gets shot,” Kemp warned.

CHIEF CRITIC

An attorney for the McMichaels has denied the men are guilty of either murder or hate crimes, saying “this is not some sort of hate crime fueled by racism.”

FURTHER READING

‘A precarious point’ Kemp calls for calm in Georgia ahead of more protests (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Third Person Charged With Murder Of Ahmaud Arbery (Forbes)

DOJ to consider possible federal hate crime charges in Ahmaud Arbery shooting (NBC News)