Ahmaud Arbery case: Man killed in Brunswick in February, shooter not arrested

BRUNSWICK, Ga. — UPDATED STORY: Protesters gather in Brunswick after video showing man’s death is released online

Original story below:

It’s been more than two months since Ahmaud Arbery was shot and killed in a suburban Brunswick, Georgia, neighborhood.

It happened Feb. 23 in the Satilla Shores neighborhood.

Neighbors there said to Action News Jax off-camera there had been break-ins and that Sunday afternoon, they saw Arbery at a home under construction before he began to run.

Two calls to dispatch were made that day; both said they saw a man running.

One man told the dispatcher:

Caller: “There’s a guy in the house right now, it’s under construction.”

Dispatcher: “And you said someone’s breaking into it right now?”

Caller: “No, it’s all open. It’s under construction ... and there he goes right now.”

Dispatcher: “OK, what is he doing?”

Caller: “He is running down the street.”

Dispatcher: “That’s fine I will get police out there. I just need to know what he was doing wrong. Was he just on the premises and not supposed to be?”

Caller: “He has been caught on camera a bunch at night. It’s kind of an ongoing thing. The man building the house has got heart issues. I think he’s not going to finish it.”

Dispatch: “OK, that’s fine. And you said he was a male in a black T-shirt?”

Caller: “White T-shirt. Black guy, white T-shirt. He’s done run into the neighborhood again.”

The next 911 call:

Caller: “I’m out here at Satilla Shores, there’s a black male running down the street.”

Dispatch: “Where at Satilla Shores?”

Caller: “I don’t know what street we’re on. Stop! Watch that. Stop. Stop.”

The caller does not respond to dispatch after that.

According to a police report, Gregory McMichael, a former investigator for the Brunswick District Attorney’s office, told police he saw Arbery run by and recognized him from the break-ins.

According to the police report, McMichael said he called for his son Travis.

“Travis the guy is runnin’ down the street, let’s go.”

The report said they grabbed a shotgun and a pistol and got into their truck to go after Arbery.

Once they caught up to him, the report says, “Travis exited the truck with a shotgun,” and Arbery began “violently attacking him” before Arbery was shot.

People who know Arbery, like his former football coach Jason Vaughn, said he was not running because he was committing a crime, but rather because it’s what he loved to do.

“When I heard that report, I was furious, angry. What’s going on in my community?” Vaughn said.

The police report does not say if Arbery had a weapon on him or if he was a suspect in any break-ins.

In the two months since this happened, no charges have been filed.

The case was transferred to the Ware County District Attorney because of McMichael’s ties to Brunswick.

On April 30, the City of Brunswick released a statement saying it is aware of the events which resulted in the shooting death of Arbery:

For Vaughn, he wants to know what is next for Arbery’s case.

“You got everything sitting in front of you. What more do you need to make an arrest to make this community feel safe?” Vaughn said.

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