The three men who pursued and later fatally shot Ahmaud Arbery have been found guilty of multiple counts, including felony murder. Travis McMichael — who fired the shots that killed Arbery — was convicted of all nine counts against him, including malice murder and felony murder.
Gregory McMichael was convicted on eight of the nine counts he faced, including felony murder. He was acquitted on malice murder. A third man, William R. Bryan, was found guilty on seven of nine counts, including felony murder. Bryan accompanied the McMichaels on the chase and filmed the altercation.
BREAKING: Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael and William Bryan, all found GUILTY in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery pic.twitter.com/rjvpHXUGaU
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) November 24, 2021
The McMichaels claimed that they pursued Arbery in relation to a string of thefts and burglaries that were taking place in the neighborhood. Gregory McMichael had claimed to see Arbery casing a property weeks before and said he had to shine his headlights on him.
After Arbery was seen entering a construction site, the McMichaels and Bryan pursued Arbery in hopes of detaining him. Eventually, Travis McMichael exited his vehicle with a shotgun. Arbery attempted to grab the weapon and was shot and killed.
The McMichaels claimed self-defense and argued that Arbery was the aggressor, though unsuccessfully. Their case was built on a Georgia citizen’s arrest law.
Regardless of the trial verdict, the McMichaels and Bryan will be facing federal hate crime charges in November.
Mainstream media outlets and leftist entities have labelled the Arbery killing as racially motivated and that the 25-year-old was simply out for a jog when he was pursued. Civil unrest was expected if the McMichaels and Bryan were found not guilty.
This is a breaking news story and may be updated with additional information as it becomes available.
