What happened in the Ahmaud Arbery shooting?

AHMAUD Arbery made headlines in 2020 after he was fatally shot while jogging through a South Georgia neighborhood.

Over a year later, the three individuals charged in relation to his death were found guilty and could face up to life in prison upon sentencing.

2

What happened in the Ahmaud Arbery shooting?

On February 23, 2020, Arbery, 25, was jogging through Brushwick, Georgia when he was confronted by Gregory, 65, and Travis, 35, McMichael who claimed he was a suspect in a series of alleged local break-ins.

The McMichael's reportedly then went to make a "citizen's arrest" by following him in their white pickup truck while armed with a pistol and shotgun.

William "Roddie" Bryan, 52, later joined in their pursuit and captured the event on video.

After exiting the truck, the younger McMichael fatally shot Arbery three times and later claimed self-defense alleging that Arbery grabbed at his gun and refused his order to get on the ground, according to authorities.

It is believed the first shot was to Arbery's chest, the second was to his hand, and the third was to his chest again before he collapsed.

🔵 Read our Ahmaud Arbery live blog for the latest updates

2

What was the verdict in the case?

Months after Arbery was fatally shot, video of his death went viral which led to the arrests of Gregory, Travis, and Roddie, after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over the case from local police.

In November 2021, all three stood trial and a jury later found them guilty after 10 days of testimony.

more from the Ahmaud Arbery shooting

CHARGED

All about the Ahmaud Arbery case

SENTENCED

All about Gregory McMichael's wife

MURDER VICTIM

Find out who leaked the Ahmaud Arbery video

DECISION REACHED

What to know about the verdict in the Ahmaud Arbery trial

Travis was charged and subsequently found guilty, of malice murder, four counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and criminal attempt to commit a felony.

Gregory was found not guilty for the charge of malice murder, and guilty of four counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and criminal attempt to commit a felony.

William Bryan was found guilty of aggravated assault and felony murder.

“You can’t claim self-defense if you are the unjustified aggressor,” Georgia prosecutor Linda Dunikoski said during her final statement. “Who started this? It wasn’t Ahmaud Arbery.”

She later added that the three had “no badge, no uniform, no authority” and were “just some strange guys in a white pickup truck.” 

“You can’t make a citizen’s arrest because someone’s running down the street and you have no idea what they did wrong,” Dunikoski continued.

“It doesn’t matter who actually pulled the trigger,” Dunikoski concluded. “Under the law, they’re all guilty.”

Franklin Hogue, an attorney representing Gregory, later argued that the prosecutor's argument was "improper" and was a "misstatement of the law."

Following the conviction, his co-counsel, Laura Hogue, said that she was "very disappointed," with the jury's decision, and they both plan on appealing the conviction, according to .