Georgia

Georgia DA Vows to Bring Shooting of Ahmaud Arbery to Grand Jury

Ahmaud Arbery was gunned down on Feb. 23 in Brunswick, by neighbors who claimed they thought he was a burglar. His family says he was just jogging

Family photo Ahmaud Arbery

Georgia prosecutors said Tuesday they plan to present evidence to a grand jury for possible charges against men who chased, and eventually gunned down, an unarmed black man they believed was a burglar — but whose family say was simply jogging.

Ahmaud Arbery, 25, was shot to death in Brunswick, a coastal city about midway between Savannah and Jacksonville, Florida, on Feb. 23 as he was running through the quiet neighborhood of Satilla Shores.

"I am of the opinion that the case should be presented to the grand jury of Glynn County for consideration of criminal charges against those involved in the death of Mr. Arbery," according to a statement by District Attorney Thomas Durden, based in Hinesville 70 miles away from the shooting scene.

Durden is the third DA to have the case, after potential conflicts of interest prompted two other prosecution offices to recuse themselves.

Lee Merritt, a lawyer for the victim's family, posted a brief video clip to Twitter on Tuesday that purportedly shows Arbery tussling with his killer. "The video clearly shows Mr. Arbery jogging down the road in the middle of the day," Merritt said in a statement. "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 to use deadly force in furtherance of their unlawful attempted stop."

Read the full story on NBCNews.com

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