On February 23, Ahmaud Arbery was shot and killed while jogging in Georgia by two men, father and son, who have now been arrested after around 2 months after the killing. The autopsy report has been released, and showed that Arbery was killed by two shotgun blasts to the chest. 

The two men responsible for the killing are George McMichael, 64 years old, and his son, Travis, 34 years old. According to ABC, George told police that there have been multiple break ins in the area, and that Arbery looked like the suspect. Though he said this, there were no reports of break-ins 7 weeks prior to Arbery’s death. The only burglary was one where a gun was stolen from an unlocked car in front of George’s home. 

There was also another man, William Bryan, who recorded the killing from his car. The video eventually got leaked, and Bryan was not arrested alongside the McMichaels. 

More surveillance footage has been released of Arbery entering a Georgia home under construction. The owner of the home, Larry English, said that he did not see Arbery steal anything from the site. English’s Attorney, Elizabeth Graddy, also said that by the time English saw the surveillance footage Arbery was already killed. 

After the handling of the arrest, there has been an uproar of discussion. Many lawmakers say that the Arbery killing was a hate crime, and that it should be dealt with as such. Others are calling into question how the Glynn County Police Department did not arrest these men for two months, and it wasn’t until the Georgia Bureau of Investigation took the case and public outrage did the men get arrested. 

Thanks to this controversy, other mishandling of the GCPD has come into the light. According to the New York Times, it has been found that the GCPD tried to interfere with the investigation of a white woman who was unarmed that was shot down and wrongfully killed when police officers fired on her windshield. One of the officers in that same shooting, killed his estranged wife and friend. The mother of the deceased wife accused the GCPD of ignoring the clear signs of something going on with that officer. There are more stories that show the GCPD have made mistakes like the one they made with the Arbery case.

Lee Merritt, a lawyer representing Arbery and his family, not only wants justice for Ahmaud Arbery’s death, but also for a deeper look into the justice system and how it is key in this case.

One of Merritt’s main points is about the Citizen’s Arrest Statute in Georgia. “According to that law, you actually have to be observing the crime or be in the immediate knowledge of the crime,” Merritt said. “The only thing they have ever said is … that Ahmaud stopped by a house that was under construction and he looked through the window. We don’t know if that happened or not, but even if that did happen that is not a felony that would invoke the citizen’s arrest statute that would make this allowable.”

More updates on the case are sure to come as George and Travis McMicheal will go into trial for their crimes, and as new information gets revealed. If you would like more information and updates, click here for a timeline of the case on NBC.