New York Daily News
May 10, 2020 4:53 PM
Ahmaud Arbery is seen stumbling and falling to the ground after being shot as Travis McMichael stands by holding a shotgun in a neighborhood outside Brunswick, Ga.(Associated Press)
A prosecutor who recused himself from the Ahmaud Arbery investigation waited until he had described the shooting as a “justifiable homicide” and sent a letter outlining why the suspects should not be charged, according to a report.
The Glynn County Police Department said Saturday that district attorney George Barnhill told police there was insufficient evidence to charge Greg McMichael and Travis McMichael after Arbery was shot and killed while jogging in February in Georgia.
“Detectives met with DA George Barnhill Sr. of the Waycross Judicial Circuit the following day and reviewed their findings with him,” the statement reads. “DA Barnhill, Sr., advised the detectives before noon on Feb. 24, that the act was justifiable homicide and for detectives to continue their investigation and provide him with lab reports and any additional information.”
Gregory McMichael, left, and his son Travis McMichael. The two have been charged with murder in the February shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery, whom they had pursued in a truck after spotting him running in their neighborhood. (Glynn County Detention Center/Associated Press)
Barnhill recused himself on April 6 because Greg McMichael, a former police officer, had worked for him as an investigator. However, Barnhill reiterated why he didn’t think the McMichaels should be charged in a letter to police and received an autopsy report prior to stepping away from the case.
“In this letter, DA Barnhill, Sr., notes, ‘I appreciate there is immediate pressure on your department as to the issue of arrest,’” the statement said. “DA Barnhill, Sr.’s letter makes five points regarding the case and concludes that there was insufficient probable cause to issue arrest warrants at that time.”
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) took over the case after cellphone video of the shooting was leaked to the public, leading to a national outcry. Greg and Travis McMichael were arrested and charged with murder several days later.
Demonstrators protest the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery at the Glynn County Courthouse on May 8, in Brunswick, Ga. (Sean Rayford/Getty)
On Saturday, Georgia attorney general Chris Carr announced his office would probe the local investigation of Arbery’s case and what led to the GBI taking over the case.
Meanwhile, threats are being made to both witnesses and protesters.
William Bryan, the man who filmed a video of Arbery’s shooting, and was possibly an armed accomplice of the McMichaels, is receiving threats and has lost his job despite working with investigators, his attorney said.
The GBI said Sunday it was investigating an online threat made against protesters of Arbery’s shooting at future rallies.
Ahmaud Arbery. (HANDOUT)
The agency is “aware of a Facebook post that contains a threat to future protests related to Ahmaud Arbery. We are actively investigating this situation and will provide pertinent updates as necessary,” according to a spokesperson who declined to provide further information.
Several hundred protesters rallied Friday at the Glynn County Courthouse in Brunswick and other rallies have taken place elsewhere in the country.
“We are actively investigating this situation and will provide pertinent updates as necessary,” the GBI said on Twitter.
