Ahmaud Arbery Shooting: State Investigators Search Home of Men Charged With Killing Unarmed Black Jogger

Men arrested for Ahmaud Arbery's murder
The home was searched by Georgia Bureau Of Investigation officers.Pool

Ahmaud Arbery Shooting: State Investigators Search Home of Men Charged With Killing Unarmed Black Jogger

State police have searched the home of two white men charged with murder in the shooting death of black jogger Ahmaud Arbery, authorities said. A search warrant was obtained Tuesday by Georgia Bureau of Investigation officers, who spent more than two hours going through the house and property where Gregory McMichael and his son, Travis, lived in the suburban enclave of Satilla Shores.

The agency said the search occurred Tuesday, but released no further information, citing the ongoing investigation into Arbery's Feb. 23 slaying.

The McMichaels are being held without bail after being charged earlier this month with first-degree murder and aggravated assault. Arbery, according to an autopsy report, suffered three shotgun wounds. He died in the street, Glynn County Police said.

Two months passed before arrests were made in case, which occurred after graphic video of Arbery's shooting death went viral May 5 and prompted a national outrage at what some, including former Vice President Joe Biden and Arbery's family called "a lynching."

On the day he was killed, Arbery, his family said, was jogging in the Satilla Shores neighborhood. Gregory McMichael, 64, told police he believed Arbery was responsible for a series of alleged break-ins in the area, and he and his son, Travis, 34, armed themselves and pursued Arbery in a pick-up truck.

After shouting at the man to stop, the elder McMichael told investigators, Arbery attacked Travis and the two struggled over the shotgun. Travis shot the man, his father said.

Attorneys for the elder McMichael said in a statement last week that their client "did not commit murder," saying he's been charged as party to the crime. The attorneys, Frank and Laura Hogue, said they are aware of "several other critically important facts" that portray "a very different narrative" for the killing.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s entire delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives — composed of seven Republicans and four Democrats — sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General William Barr Wednesday seeking federal support in the investigation.

"This devastating case and alarming video brought a national spotlight to our beloved home state. For these reasons no stone should be left unturned in ensuring a fair, thorough, and lawful process. Justice cannot exist in a democracy that does not fiercely enforce equality under the law," the letter said.

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