The Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced the arrests of two men and charged them with the murder of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery on Thursday.
Gregory McMichael, 64, and Travis McMichael, 34, were both charged with murder and aggravated assault. The arrests come more than two months after Arbery was killed.
“On February 23, 2020, Ahmaud Arbery was in the Satilla Shores neighborhood in Brunswick, GA when both Gregory and Travis McMichael confronted Arbery with two firearms. During the encounter, Travis McMichael shot and killed Arbery,” officials said in a press release issued Thursday.
MORE: The Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced the arrests of Gregory McMichael and Travis McMichael in a press release.
— ABC News (@ABC) May 8, 2020
"The McMichaels were taken into custody and will be booked into the Glynn County Jail." https://t.co/gYmqtO57Yg pic.twitter.com/H2k6h5oohf
The men were taken into custody and booked into the Glynn County Jail.
A video of the incident was released causing widespread outrage, including from government officials.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) issued a tweet mourning Arbery’s death and called for justice.
“Sickened by the unjust killing of yet another black man in our country. [Ahmaud Arbery’s] life mattered. As we mourn his death, we owe it to his family, his loved ones and his memory to ensure justice is served without further delay,” Pelosi said.
Sickened by the unjust killing of yet another black man in our country.
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) May 7, 2020
#AhmaudArbery’s life mattered. As we mourn his death, we owe it to his family, his loved ones and his memory to ensure justice is served without further delay.
Former Vice President Joe Biden offered his condolences and called for an investigation into the murder.
“The video is clear: Ahmaud Arbery was killed in cold blood. My heart goes out to his family, who deserve justice and deserve it now,” Biden said.
He continued, “It is time for a swift, full, and transparent investigation into his murder.”
The video is clear: Ahmaud Arbery was killed in cold blood. My heart goes out to his family, who deserve justice and deserve it now. It is time for a swift, full, and transparent investigation into his murder. https://t.co/alvY5WjdHx
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) May 6, 2020
President Donald Trump was asked Thursday if he had seen the video of Arbery’s murder and what his reaction was to it if he had seen it.
“So I’m getting a full report on it this evening. My heart goes out to the parents and to the loved ones of the young gentleman. It’s a very sad thing but I will be given a full report this evening,” Trump said.
He was asked if he had seen the video, to which he replied, “No I haven’t.”
Watch his comments below:
Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, appeared on “Good Morning America” Thursday morning to testify to the kind of person her son was.
Watch her comments below:
Ahmaud Arbery’s mother says her son was kind, well-mannered and loved by his family and peers. Friday would have been his 26th birthday. https://t.co/QFFqO8FjBY pic.twitter.com/5wt7hS2YYc
— Good Morning America (@GMA) May 7, 2020
“Ahmaud carried the most humblest spirit. Ahmaud was kind. Ahmaud was well mannered,” Cooper-Jones said. “Ahmaud, most of all, was loved by his family and peers. Ahmaud didn’t deserve to go the way that he went.”