Ahmaud Arbery verdict: all three white men found guilty of murdering Black man as he jogged – live | US news

Jon Ossoff, the senator from Georgia, said “further investigation is necessary to determine how and why officials initially refused to pursue the case”.

In a statement, the senator wrote:

Ahmaud Arbery’s murderers will be held accountable, but a historic civil rights mobilization was necessary for the killers to face prosecution at all. There was nearly impunity for this murder and further investigation is necessary to determine how and why officials initially refused to pursue the case. The circumstances of Ahmaud Arbery’s murder and the struggle required to secure a prosecution demonstrate profoundly the urgency of reforms to make equal justice real in America.

• The three white men who chased and killed Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, were found guilty of murder.

• Travis McMichael, who shot Arbery as he was running through a Georgia neighborhood, was found guilty of malice murder and several charges of felony murder.

• Greg McMichael and William Bryan, who took part in the pursuit in two separate vehicles, were found guilty on multiple charges of felony murder.

• The three men face minimum sentences of life imprisonment. A judge will decide at a later date if they will be eligible for parole.

Here’s the moment Travis McMichael received his guilty verdict in court. McMichael was found guilty on all nine charges he faced, including malice murder and felony murder. He now faces life in prison for killing Ahmaud Arbery.

Kamala Harris has issued a statement on today’s verdicts:

Today, the jury rendered its verdicts and the three defendants were found guilty of murdering Ahmaud Arbery. Still, we feel the weight of grief. Ahmaud Arbery should be alive and nothing can take away the pain that his mother Wanda Cooper-Jones, his father Marcus Arbery, and the entire Arbery family and community feel today. I share in that pain.

These verdicts send an important message, but the fact remains that we still have work to do. The defense counsel chose to set a tone that cast the attendance of ministers at the trial as intimidation and dehumanized a young Black man with racist tropes. The jury arrived at its verdicts despite these tactics.

Ahmaud Arbery was a son. He was a brother. He was a friend. His life had meaning. We will not forget him. We honor him best by continuing the fight for justice.

The trial “touched on race and racism in the US, often echoing America’s segregated past as well as modern day prejudice”, my colleague Maya Yang writes:

“Arbery’s killing highlighted the dangers that Black Americans can face doing entirely ordinary things that white people can perceive as a threat. They can range from bird watching, to showing a house for sale to swimming.

“Arbery, a former high school football standout, loved to run. On 23 February last year, he was unarmed and out jogging through his neighborhood in Brunswick, Georgia, when he was tracked by the McMichaels and Bryan before being gunned down.

Relying on a defunct civil war-era law that deputizes citizens to police the movements of Black bodies and carry out citizen’s arrests of suspected criminals, the white men argued that they were acting in self-defense. And they believe they were legally justified in pursuing Arbery because they thought he matched the description of a burglary suspect.

Arbery’s death has reaffirmed a concern among many Black runners that they will be racially profiled or attacked while running in the United States. The multitude of racist experiences of “running while Black” has prompted runners to take precautionary measures such as wearing bright colors to appear non-threatening and running during daylight hours.

You can read Maya’s full piece here:

Chris Carr, Georgia’s attorney general, has issued a statement:

“The loss of Ahmaud Arbery was a tragedy that should have never occurred. Today’s verdict brings us one step closer to justice, healing and reconciliation for Ahmaud’s family, the community, the state and the nation.”

Robert Rubin, attorney for Travis McMichael, has spoken outside court.

Asked if he plans to appeal, Rubin said: “Yes, absolutely.”

Jason Sheffield, another defense attorney for McMichael, said he wanted to thank “everyone who gathered here in front of the Glynn County courthouse”.

“We understand, more than you know, how valuable it is to have people come together, peacefully assemble,” Sheffield said.

“This is a very difficult day for Travis McMichael and Greg McMichael,” Sheffield said. The men “honestly believe” they were doing the right thing, he said.

Page Pate, a Georgia-based attorney, told CNN just now that it is unlikely an appeal will be successful. “It is hard to win an appeal case in Georgia,” Pate said.

Joe Biden has issued a statement following the guilty verdicts against Ahmaud Arbery’s killers.

“Ahmaud Arbery’s killing – witnessed by the world on video – is a devastating reminder of how far we have to go in the fight for racial justice in this country,” Biden said.

“Mr Arbery should be here today, celebrating the holidays with his mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, and his father, Marcus Arbery. Nothing can bring Mr Arbery back to his family and to his community, but the verdict ensures that those who committed this horrible crime will be punished.

“While the guilty verdicts reflect our justice system doing its job, that alone is not enough. Instead, we must recommit ourselves to building a future of unity and shared strength, where no one fears violence because of the color of their skin.

“My administration will continue to do the hard work to ensure that equal justice under law is not just a phrase emblazoned in stone above the supreme court, but a reality for all Americans.”

Linda Dunikoski, the lead prosecutor in the trial, has been praised for her presentation of the case. Speaking outside court, she said it had been a “team effort”.

“We really appreciate the support we had, the faith from Mr Arbery and Ms Cooper-Jones,” Dunikoski said, referring to Ahmaud Arbery’s father and mother.

The verdict today was “based on the facts, based on the evidence”, Dunikoski said.

Marcus Arbery, Ahmaud’s father, thanked his son’s mother and the activists and lawyers who helped draw attention to his son’s case.

“God put us all together to make this happen,” Arbery said.

“We conquered that lynch mob. We got that lynch mob.”

Arbery said: “We don’t want to see nobody go through this.”

He added: “Let’s keep fighting and making this world a better place for all human beings.”

“All human beings need to be treated equally,” Arbery said.

“Today is a good day.”

Ahmaud Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, has just spoken outside court.

“It’s been a long fight, it’s been a hard fight,” Cooper-Jones said.

“To tell you the truth I never saw this day. Back in 2020 I never thought this day would come.”

Cooper-Jones added: “Thank you to those who marched, the ones who prayed, thank you.”

Cooper-Jones said her son “will now rest in peace”.

Al Sharpton, civil rights activist and founder of National Action Network, has just been speaking outside court.

Arbery’s parents “lost a son”, Sharpton said: “But their son will go down in history as one that proved that if you hold on justice will come.”

Sharpton said: “A jury of 11 whites and one black, in the Deep South, stood up in the courtroom and said that Black lives do matter.”