The father-son duo caught on camera sparking the confrontation that led to the shooting death of unarmed black jogger Ahmaud Arbery were charged with murder on Thursday, authorities said.
Gregory McMichael, 64, and Travis McMichael, 34, both armed, approached Arbery on Feb. 23 on a street in Brunswick, Georgia before Travis fatally shot the jogger, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
The McMichaels were also charged with aggravated assault, authorities said. They were in police custody as of Thursday night and will be booked at Glynn County Jail.
The case sparked national attention this week when video of the confrontation emerged on Tuesday.
The 28-second clip shows the father and son approach Arbery in their pickup truck before the shooting.
Travis can be seen getting out of the truck and scuffling with Arbery, who is hit with a shotgun blast and staggers a few feet before falling to the ground.
The arrests come after S. Lee Merritt, a lawyer for Arbery’s family, earlier Thursday called the shooting death a “modern lynching,” and said the family is demanding justice.
Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, told ABC’s “Good Morning America” Thursday that she’s still trying to make sense of the senseless tragedy.
