US jogger Ahmaud Arbery’s murder suspects Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son Travis, 34, the white father and son duo, are currently facing murder and assault charges. The suspects are currently in the custody of Glynn County Sheriff’s Department.
While investigation of the case is still underway, The US justice department is considering federal hate crimes charges over the death of the unarmed black jogger in Georgia in February.
Widespread national unrest broke out in the United States after a video of the shooting was released last week. The 36-second clip appears to show the younger McMichael firing a shotgun at point blank range at Mr Arbery bringing him down to the street.
His supporters have trending the hashtag #IRunwithMaud and are running 2.23 miles, signifying the date of his death, 23rd February. They have also been arranging various protest rallies in Georgia and Florida outside state buildings. The victim’s mother and sister also joined in the protest rallies in their hometown of Brunswick. The likes of Joe Biden and LeBron James have come out in support of this cause.
With the Justice officials in Georgia having vowed to investigate on why it took so long to arrest the McMichaels, they had issued a statement saying, “The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, the FBI, and the US Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia have been supporting and will continue fully to support and participate in the state investigation,” adding that they’re assessing the crime to analyse whether the hate crime charges would be applicable in this case.