BRUNSWICK, Ga. (NBC) – The trial of three white men charged in the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, is in the hands of the jury.
Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley gave the jury their final instructions Tuesday before they left the courtroom to begin deliberations.
Travis McMichael, his father Greg McMichael, and William Bryan were all charged in Arbery’s death.
On February 23, 2020, the McMichaels armed themselves and tried to stop Arbery when they saw him running through their neighborhood. They were joined by Bryan, who recorded the incident on his phone.
A struggle ensued and Arbery was shot by Travis McMichael as Arbery fought with the McMichaels and tried to grab Travis’ shotgun.
Defense attorneys argued the men were attempting a legal citizen’s arrest, seeking only to detain and question Arbery about suspected crimes in the area and fired only in self-defense.
Prosecutors claim there was no evidence that Arbery had committed a crime in the defendant’s neighborhood and that he should not have been confronted, saying the McMichaels were the aggressors in the situation.
Now, the jury is tasked with rendering a verdict in this highly controversial case.
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