Travis McMichael, his father, Gregory McMichael, and their neighbor, William "Roddie" Bryan, have been indicted by a grand jury for the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, according to multiple reports. The indictment comes four months after Arbery was shot while on his daily jog on Feb. 23.
Cobb District Attorney Joyette M. Holmes announced the indictment to reporters Wednesday afternoon. Although the defendants had been arrested for murder, the grand jury delivered the indictment, formally charging them each with one count of malice murder, four counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, one count of false imprisonment and one count of criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment. Murder charges in Georgia typically go before a grand jury for indictment.
Recommended Videos
Travis, Gregory and Bryan have remained in custody since their arrests in May. They last appeared in court in early June for a probable cause hearing, where a judge concluded there is enough evidence to move forward with the case.
According to the police report, on Feb. 23, Gregory spotted Arbery on a run, and assumed he was the person who committed "several break-ins" in their neighborhood. Gregory is a retired investigator with the Brunswick District Attorney's Office who previously served as a Glynn County police officer. The police report states that Gregory then alerted his son, Travis; they grabbed their guns and jumped into their car to find Arbery. Bryan was called and he recorded the chase after Arbery. When the men caught up with Arbery, Travis tussled with him and fired his gun. Arbery was hit in the chest and died on the pavement. The video of the incident was posted to social media on May 5.
People across the United States and around the world have been calling for justice for Arbery, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and equality for the Black community. See more in the video below.
RELATED CONTENT:
JAY-Z Lends Private Plane to Ahmaud Arbery Attorneys for Court Hearing
Kanye West Gives $2 Million to Floyd, Arbery & Taylor Families
Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian and More Speak Out Over Ahmaud Arbery Shooting