A New Video Shows The Moment Two White Men Shot And Killed A Black Man Who Was Out For A Jog

Ahmaud Arbery was jogging on Feb. 23 when he was shot by two men who followed him. They said they believed he was a burglar.

Cellphone video released by attorneys Tuesday shows the moment two white men shot and killed a black jogger on a road in Georgia in February.

The two men told police they believed 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery was a burglar. Attorneys representing Arbery's family said the video shows the two men had no reason to stop and shoot him "at point-blank range." The attorneys are now calling on police to arrest the men, who remain free — though authorities announced a grand jury would be reviewing the case.

"There was no reason for these men to believe they had the right to stop him with weapons, or to use deadly force," attorney S. Lee Merritt, who is representing Arbery's family, said in a statement. "This is murder."

The Feb. 23 shooting took place in Brunswick, a small city on the state's southern coast, while Arbery was running on a two-lane road.

“The series of events captured in this video confirm what all the evidence indicated prior to its release— Ahmaud Arbery was pursued by three white men that targeted him solely because of his race and murdered him without justification. This is murder.”

The video, which appears to be shot by someone inside a car on the road, shows Arbery running just ahead. The identity of the person who shot the video has not been released.

A white pickup truck appears to be parked on the side of the road; the runner, Arbery, looks to pass its right side.

At that moment, a man is seen on the bed of the truck, and another man is standing near the open door on the driver's side. Arbery appears to run by the passenger's side, and a gunshot can be heard.

Arbery and the man standing on the road appear to struggle over what looks like a gun. Another shot can be heard off camera.

In the statement, Merritt said Arbery made several attempts to avoid the armed men.

The video then shows Arbery trying to run away, but he collapses just a couple of feet ahead of the truck.

"Mr. Arbery had not committed any crime and there was no reason for these men to believe they had the right to stop him with weapons or use deadly force," Merritt said. "There is no reasonable argument justifying the murder of Mr. Arbery."

According to a Glynn County police report of the incident, Gregory McMichael, 64, told police there had been break-ins in the neighborhood and he had seen Arbery "hauling ass" on the street. According to the report, Gregory called for his son, Travis, 34, and told him, "the guy is running down the street, let's go."

The two men left to follow Arbery in the pickup, armed with a .357 Magnum handgun and a shotgun.

The two men initially tried to cut off Arbery on the road with the pickup truck, the police report states, but he continued to turn or run in a different direction.

Gregory told police he and his son yelled for him to stop; when he didn't, according to the report, "they pulled up beside the male and shouted stop again at which time Travis exited the truck with the shotgun."

He and Arbery struggled over the shotgun, Gregory said, according to the report, and his son fired at Arbery.

The cellphone video was posted on social media Tuesday, and on the same day, Tom Durden, an outside prosecutor assigned to review the case, announced the case would be presented to a grand jury.

Statement from Director Vic Reynolds on the GBI’s investigation of Ahmaud Arbery’s death:

On Wednesday, Vic Reynolds, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, said the agency has offered to assist Durden in the investigation and has assigned three agents to the case.

"Our goal in every investigation is to seek the truth, and that's exactly what we intend to do in this matter," he said.

The agency said in a statement it was also asked by the Glynn County Police Department about the release of the video itself and to investigate threats against the police department.

"Georgians deserve answers," Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said on Twitter on Tuesday. "State law enforcement stands ready to ensure justice is served."

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