Trayvon Martin Family Lawyer Takes on Case of Ga. Man Shot Dead While Jogging
Ben Crump now has a national civil rights practice with offices in Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, California and Washington, D.C.
May 07, 2020 at 02:20 PM
4 minute read
The original version of this story was published on Daily Report
With no arrests made, a grieving Georgia father wanted justice for his son, Ahmaud Arbery, who was fatally shot while jogging on a Glynn County road near his home in the Brunswick area Feb. 23.
On Tuesday, the father, Marcus Arbery, hired Ben Crump, the personal injury attorney who represented the family of Trayvon Martin—the teenager killed by a neighbor in Florida while walking home.
Civil rights attorney S. Lee Merritt of Philadelphia represents Arbery's mother. The lawyers shared a video of the shooting from another vehicle's dashboard camera. The video shows two white men in a pickup truck stopping a young black man. One jumps out with a shotgun. The other stands in the back with a handgun drawn. During the confrontation, shots are fired. Arbery keeps trying to run away but falls in the road a few steps in front of the truck, never to regain consciousness.
"The series of events captured in this video confirm what all the evidence indicated prior to its release— Ahmaud Arbery was pursued by three white men that targeted him solely because of his race and murdered him without justification," Merritt said in a tweet with the video Tuesday. "This is murder."
On Wednesday, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation launched an investigation.
GBI Director Vic Reynolds released a YouTube video explaining that, under Georgia law, his office cannot start an investigation without being asked by a local district attorney. He said he had called the night before and offered his agency's services to Liberty County District Attorney Tom Durden. Durden took over jurisdiction after the local DA recused due to connections to the shooters, according to news reports. Reynolds said Durden immediately agreed.
Reynolds said in the video he has already assigned the case to three experienced supervising agents and would run it from headquarters.
"Our goal in every investigation is to seek the truth," Reynolds said. "I'm confident we'll do justice. I'm just as confident we'll do it the right way."
Reynolds asked for patience, although he acknowledged that was probably the last feeling the family had right now.
Crump tweeted this reply:
"Glenn County officials did not administer justice for Ahmaud Arbery. Now the investigation has been turned over to @GBI_GA. How long will it take to arrest these cold-blooded killers? #JusticeForAhmaud"
Crump now has a national civil rights practice with offices in Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, California and Washington, D.C.
"This outrageous case shows just how dangerous it is to be Black in America," Crump said in a written statement. "A Black man can't jog through a neighborhood without being chased and gunned down execution style. The case is clear: Ahmaud was the victim of horrific violence at the hands of two white men, a father and a son, who profiled him solely on his race. They grabbed a handgun and a shotgun and chased him down in a truck as he ran for his life. More than two months later, they are walking free—charged with nothing—while Ahmaud's parents are left without their son and no justice. This is an absolute outrage and a disgrace. We will not rest until we see justice for this family."
Martin was killed in 2012 by a member of the neighborhood watch, George Zimmerman, in Sanford, Florida. Zimmerman, responding to suspicious person call, had tried to stop Martin.
The Glynn County video has been widely shared on the internet and broadcast on network news. Gov. Brian Kemp was among the many shocked by it. He led his remarks with it at a Thursday afternoon news conference on the state's battle against the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.
"Before we begin our weekly briefing, I want to take some time to address the ongoing investigation involving Ahmaud Arbery's death in Glynn County," Kemp said. "Earlier this week, I watched a video depicting Mr. Arbery's last moments alive. It is absolutely horrific, and Georgians deserve answers. I have confidence in Vic Reynolds and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. I know they will work around the clock to thoroughly and independently investigate Mr. Arbery's death to find the truth. In these moments, please pray for his loved ones, the local community, and our state."
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