Note: Greg and Travis McMichael were arrested Thursday evening after this show aired.
One 31-second video has sparked outrage, protests and calls for the arrest of two South Georgia men.
The video, taken in early February in a neighborhood near Brunswick, Georgia, was leaked to a local radio station this week. In the video, Ahmaud Arbery, a black man, was pursued, shot and killed by two white men — 64-year-old Greg McMichael and his son Travis.
In early statements to the police, the McMichaels said they suspected Arbery was responsible for break-ins in their neighborhood and wanted to make a citizen’s arrest.
Arbery’s family and attorney have stated he was unarmed and on a jog. At the time of Arbery’s death, neither of the McMichaels were arrested or charged. Since the video surfaced, the case has gained international news coverage, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has stepped in to investigate.
On Thursday’s edition of “Closer Look with Rose Scott,” guests offered insight into the many layers behind Arbery’s shooting death — from a conversation with one of Arbery’s family attorneys to analysis from a local defense lawyer with offices based in Brunswick and Atlanta.
Benjamin Crump, counsel for Ahmaud Arbery’s father
National civil rights and personal injury attorney Benjamin Crump is well known for his involvement in the cases of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown. Crump, who now serves as counsel for Ahmaud Arbery’s father, told “Closer Look” host Rose Scott how he will approach this case and why he believes the case deserves federal and state oversight.
WABE Legal Analyst Page Pate
This week, the Atlantic Judicial Circuit announced Arbery’s case will go to a grand jury. WABE legal analyst and defense attorney Page Pate explained the process for a grand jury and gave context to the legal definition of a “citizen’s arrest.”
Former Georgia Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears
While no formal charges have been filed, civil rights advocates have described the Arbery case as a “hate crime.” Could this warrant federal hate crime charges? Former Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears shared her legal perspective.
Yusef Salaam, member of the exonerated ‘Central Park Five’
Yusef Salaam was among the five New York City teens wrongfully accused and imprisoned for the 1989 rape of a white woman in Central Park. In the end, Salaam served nearly seven years for a crime he did not commit before he was exonerated. On Thursday, Salaam reflected on his own experience with the criminal justice system, and what went through his mind when he viewed the video of Arbery’s shooting death.
To listen to the full version of these conversations, click on the audio player above.
For a deeper exploration of Ahmaud Arbery’s story, listen to WABE’s podcast, “Buried Truths.” Hosted by journalist, professor, and Pulitzer-prize-winning author Hank Klibanoff, season three of “Buried Truths” explores the Arbery murder and its direct ties to racially motivated murders of the past in Georgia.
