Two white men accused of killing a 25-year-old black jogger in the US state of Georgia in late February have been arrested, police said Thursday (May 7) after the uproar over video drama in the United States .
The calls of politicians, stars and Internet users have multiplied in recent days to demand their charges. In a 28-second video released Tuesday by runner’s family lawyer, Ahmaud Arbery is seen running on a road in Brunswick, Georgia on February 23. As he bypasses a white pickup truck on which a man is standing, he is stopped by a second man who grabs it. We hear a shot, then a second.
The two whites were identified by police as Travis McMichael, 34, and his father, Gregory McMichael, 64, residents of this coastal city in this historically segregated former South.
“My thoughts are with the young man's parents and relatives. It’s a very sad thing. ”said Donald Trump on Thursday, adding that he had not seen the video but would be briefed on the matter in the evening.
Police report says Gregory McMichael claims he thought Ahmaud Arbery was a thief "Strutting around" in front of his house. He says he grabbed his revolver, his son his gun, and both went after him. He says he saw his son " shoot " twice and Ahmaud Arbery collapsed to the ground.
Indignation
After the video went viral, a Georgia prosecutor said on Tuesday that a grand jury should decide whether there is a case to prosecute the two men.
But many stars and politicians had expressed their indignation and called for a quick indictment of the two suspects. "Ahmaud Arbery was murdered by two white men, IN FRONT OF A CAMERA, and the guys were not arrested", notably castigated the actress Zoë Kravitz in a message on Instagram relayed by many personalities like Billie Eilish or Kylie Jenner.
"The video is clear : Ahmaud Arbery was killed in cold blood. I am of all cœur with his family, who deserves justice and deserves it now ", Joe Biden, a likely Democratic presidential candidate for November, claimed on Twitter.
The video is clear: Ahmaud Arbery was killed in cold blood. My heart goes out to his family, who deserve justice an… https://t.co/gqDn9S6zf1
Some have drawn a parallel withTrayvon Martin case, an unarmed black teenager who was shot dead by a vigilante in Florida in 2012.
"We are literally hunted EVERY DAY / EVERY TIME we set foot outside our home", lamented basketball star LeBron James on Instagram.
