Joe Biden demands justice for unarmed black jogger killed in Georgia shooting as video emerges

Prosecutors in Georgia were criticised over previous decision to not charge suspects in fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery after graphic video emerges 

The presumptive Democratic nominee for president, Joe Biden, has called for justice in the case of Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed black jogger who was fatally shot in February.

Mr Biden said that ‘his heart went out’ to the 25-year-old’s family on Wednesday after video emerged showing the unarmed black jogger being shot whilst out running in Georgia.

“The video is clear: Ahmaud Arbery was killed in cold blood,” said Mr Biden on Twitter. “It is time for a swift, full, and transparent investigation into his murder”.

A prosecutor in Georgia said on Tuesday that he would ask a grand jury to decide if charges should be filed against a white former law enforcement officer and his son in relation to the shooting.

Prosecutors have also been criticised for their previous reluctance to file charges against former district attorney investigator Gregory McMichael and his son, Travis.

The video footage, which was taken by an unidentified witness in another car and has caused widespread indignation online, shows Mr Arbery jogging down a narrow two-lane road and around a white pickup truck stopped in the right lane, its driver’s door open.

As Mr Arbery crosses back in front of the truck a gunshot is fired. Mr Arbery is then seen struggling with a man holding a long gun as a second man stands in the bed of the truck brandishing a revolver. Two more shots are heard before Mr Arbery stumbles and falls face-down onto the asphalt.

“The video of #AhmaudArbery sickens me to my core. Exercising while Black shouldn’t be a death sentence,” said Senator Kamala Harris on Twitter.

Tom Durden, the acting district attorney for a neighbouring district, said in a letter posted on Facebook that the case should now be reconsidered.

“I am of the opinion that the case should be presented to the grand jury of Glynn County for consideration of criminal charges against those involved in the death of Mr. Arbery,” said Mr Durden, who was assigned to investigate the fatal shooting after prosecutors in Brunswick and a neighbouring district recused themselves due to potential conflicts of interest,

Mr Durden said he would present the case to the next available grand jury in Glynn County, which is not expected to meet until mid-June under restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, he said.

According to a police report obtained by The New York Times, Gregory McMichael, a former police officer and district attorney’s investigator, told investigators the incident began when he spotted Mr Arbery from his front yard “hauling ass” down the street.

McMichael told police that, because he suspected Mr Arbery in a string of recent neighbourhood break-ins, he summoned his son and the two men gave chase in the truck, carrying a .357 Magnum revolver whilst Travis McMichael was armed with a shotgun.

Gregory McMichael said Mr Arbery began to “violently attack” his son and fought over the shotgun, prompting Travis McMichael to open fire. It is not clear from the police report or the videotape if Gregory McMichael also fired on Mr Arbery.

According to a letter obtained by the Times, the prosecutor in Brunswick argued there was not probable cause to arrest the McMichaels because they were legally carrying firearms, had a right to pursue a burglary suspect and use deadly force to protect themselves.

A lawyer for Mr Arbery’s family told The New York Times that the video clearly showed a criminal act. “This is murder,” said S Lee Merritt. “The series of events captured in this video confirm what all the evidence indicated prior to its release.”