GA - Ahmaud Arbery, 25, jogger, fatally shot by former PD and son, Brunswick, Feb 2020

[sds71]

GBI agents are reviewing additional video from the Glynn County neighborhood where he was shot to death as they piece together the minutes before the fatal confrontation that has drawn national attention to Georgia and its justice system.
GBI reviewing additional video footage in Ahmaud Arbery case

 

[tlcya]

GBI agents are reviewing additional video from the Glynn County neighborhood where he was shot to death as they piece together the minutes before the fatal confrontation that has drawn national attention to Georgia and its justice system.
GBI reviewing additional video footage in Ahmaud Arbery case

interesting, glad to finally be able to view another angle on that day's events. I find the Fulton County Former prosecutor's analysis aligns with my own based on what I have read thus far of the known facts.

 

[tlcya]

from this February 28th local news report on the shooting

Barnhill confirmed that his department is working with Glynn County police investigators to gather information to determine whether the shooting warrants prosecution. “They seem to be doing all the right things,” Barnhill said of the county police department. “They’re gathering information, film, photos ... They’re putting together a case file. That’s about 70 percent done.”

[SNIP]

Evidence being gathered includes security surveillance video from the home under construction, as well as surveillance video from other homes in the neighborhood, Barnhill said.

[SNIP]

“There’s some behavior that warrants explanation,” he said without elaborating. “I want to get more information on the deceased.”

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

I think these are very valid questions and instrumental to determining whether Williams was 'party' to the crime.

If there was a prior agreement for a joint action, the ability to place criminal charges may well depend on whether it was discussed over text / social media or verbally.

Any prior coordination agreements would, of course, have to be proved. In addition, I think that it must also be demonstrated that the third individual had reasonable knowledge that there would be a confrontation with weapons.

Any possible verbal agreement can just be denied. Even electronic agreement to coordinated action might not suffice for 'party to' charges unless weapons were mentioned.

Wow, the possible implications of your "connect the dots" are chilling.

The third "dot" is that in Georgia, citizens arrests are permissible if a person either witnesses a felony, or had direct knowledge of one.

Of course, none of the individuals say Arbery take the gear, or had direct knowledge that he did. But, the DA was already pre-disposed not to press charges.

Your "connect the dots" approach raises the vary valid question of whether an attempt was made to excuse or legally justify the attack on Arbery after it occurred:

Arbery was strongly suspected of a felony, and citizens arrests for felonies are permitted, so, the confrontation was "justified".... .

Hey Cryptic or anyone who wants to answer,

please forgive me but would u be so kind as to “dumb this down” for me a bit, ie, I don’t want to think too much as I barely slept last night & can’t get my head to follow much less connect the dots! Also the DA bit? As usual I am lost. Sorry but u guys are light years ahead of me on a good day.

 

[tlcya]

April 14th local article

“I’m off that case since last week,” Barnhill told The News on Monday. “The family of the victim asked us to get off the case. The family was insistent that I get off the case. So I said, fine. I’m off of it.”

When retired district attorney investigator Greg McMichael saw a man he suspected of burglary sprinting down Satilla Drive on the afternoon of Feb. 23, he alerted his adult son and both men grabbed their guns, according to a Glynn County police report.

April 2nd local article

An adrenaline-infused pursuit ensued, which ended a block away when Travis McMichael’s shotgun fired twice as he and the man struggled for possession of it, Greg McMichael told police. Ahmaud Marquez Arbery, 25, died on the spot, “bleeding out” in a matter of minutes, the police report said.
[SNIP]
The McMichael men and others were fed up with burglaries and auto break-ins by the time that fateful February afternoon unfolded, the police report indicated. The senior McMichael told police the surveillance video in the neighborhood had earlier captured Arbery in suspicious circumstances. McMichael told police they saw Arbery “the other night” and that he reached in his pants, as if readying to draw a gun, the report said

 

[MsBetsy]

Hey Cryptic or anyone who wants to answer,

please forgive me but would u be so kind as to “dumb this down” for me a bit, ie, I don’t want to think too much as I barely slept last night & can’t get my head to follow much less connect the dots! Also the DA bit? As usual I am lost. Sorry but u guys are light years ahead of me on a good day.

I think what is being discussed is the level of involvement in regard to Williams, the man who was following the victim in his truck as he was running down the road.

According to his lawyer, he was outside when he witnessed Arbery running down the road. He jumped in his truck and followed, filming the action with his phone. He cooperated with LE and showed them the video, returning to the scene later to answer more questions.

It is not known whether or not he had spoken to the suspects before the incident, or if he knew who Arbery was or that they were chasing him because they believed him to be involved in a theft.

The attorney stated that his client gave him the video and shared it with the media because he wanted people to know what really happened, or something like that.

The video clearly shows the victim being shot down after the perpetrators attempted to stop him from running down the road.

If anything, the video is direct evidence that Arbery was murdered.

Imo

 

[Ray_of_hope]

SO from what I am putting together, someone or someones had been trespassing on the under construction property since August 2019 and some of those trespasses were reported to police but the individual seen in surveillance video or witnessed was not identifiable.

Travis had his gun stolen from his unlocked vehicle in January 2020 which was reported at the time of theft.

a stolen gun with no suspect witnessed at the time of theft and some trespassing incidents were reported.

Makes it all the more odd to me that the $2500 worth of fishing equipment allegedly stole was not reported until AFTER Arbery lay dead in the street and LEOs were onscene for that.

Things that make one go hmmmm.

ETA this is interesting to me:

If the theft offense involves property valued at more than $500, the crime is punishable as a felony, or as a misdemeanor, at the judge’s discretion. ( § 17-10-5.) If charged as a felony, theft carries a sentence of imprisonment of not less than one year and not more than ten years. ( § 16-8-12.) The other circumstances under which a theft is punishable as a felony in Georgia include:

BBM
Exactly.
Also McMichael knew Ahmaud. Why wouldn't he have recognized him and reported to the proper authorities if he had recognized him from surveillance? And if McMichael didn't recognize Ahmaud, then surely he knew who he was when chasing him. He could have reported to the police who he'd seen and possibly suspected. McMichael also didn't tell LE that he knew or had been in a previous prosecution involving Ahmaud when they arrived and were investigating.

"One of the men accused in the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery was involved in a previous prosecution of Arbery, according to a letter written by a prosecutor who has since recused himself from the case.
In an April 7 letter, Waycross Judicial Circuit District Attorney George Barnhill wrote that his son and the suspect, Gregory McMichael, helped with an earlier prosecution of Arbery when they both worked for the Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office."
Ahmaud Arbery: Suspect in killing was involved in prior investigation of 25-year-old - CNN

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

Thank u MsBetsy!

 

[Ray_of_hope]

April 14th local article

“I’m off that case since last week,” Barnhill told The News on Monday. “The family of the victim asked us to get off the case. The family was insistent that I get off the case. So I said, fine. I’m off of it.”

When retired district attorney investigator Greg McMichael saw a man he suspected of burglary sprinting down Satilla Drive on the afternoon of Feb. 23, he alerted his adult son and both men grabbed their guns, according to a Glynn County police report.

April 2nd local article

An adrenaline-infused pursuit ensued, which ended a block away when Travis McMichael’s shotgun fired twice as he and the man struggled for possession of it, Greg McMichael told police. Ahmaud Marquez Arbery, 25, died on the spot, “bleeding out” in a matter of minutes, the police report said.
[SNIP]
The McMichael men and others were fed up with burglaries and auto break-ins by the time that fateful February afternoon unfolded, the police report indicated. The senior McMichael told police the surveillance video in the neighborhood had earlier captured Arbery in suspicious circumstances. McMichael told police they saw Arbery “the other night” and that he reached in his pants, as if readying to draw a gun, the report said

I believe Barnhill was asked to recuse himself due to his son being involved with Ahmaud prior.
I really think the trial should be moved.
Ahmaud Arbery: Suspect in killing was involved in prior investigation of 25-year-old - CNN

 

[scapa]

My strong impression is that, in the absence of a detailed video that went viral pretty quickly, along with sustained family and community pressure, this case might have been swept under the rug and stayed there.

I wonder how many similar cases that rug and its fellows have covered over the years.

 

[Boxer]

SO from what I am putting together, someone or someones had been trespassing on the under construction property since August 2019 and some of those trespasses were reported to police but the individual seen in surveillance video or witnessed was not identifiable.

Travis had his gun stolen from his unlocked vehicle in January 2020 which was reported at the time of theft.

a stolen gun with no suspect witnessed at the time of theft and some trespassing incidents were reported.

Makes it all the more odd to me that the $2500 worth of fishing equipment allegedly stole was not reported until AFTER Arbery lay dead in the street and LEOs were onscene for that.

Things that make one go hmmmm.

ETA this is interesting to me:

If the theft offense involves property valued at more than $500, the crime is punishable as a felony, or as a misdemeanor, at the judge’s discretion. ( § 17-10-5.) If charged as a felony, theft carries a sentence of imprisonment of not less than one year and not more than ten years. ( § 16-8-12.) The other circumstances under which a theft is punishable as a felony in Georgia include:

When was the alleged theft of fishing gear supposed to have happened, and when was the first mention of it and to whom?

 

[Ray_of_hope]

I just saw a surveillance video from the construction site in Georgia. It shows what looks like Ahmaud (same clothing) walking into the construction site and looking around. It was in the middle of a bright sunny day where anyone could see him. He was not creeping around. I don't know about anyone else but I've always gone into new construction, even as a kid. I loved seeing the bones of a home and imagining the layout, etc. The McMichaels should have called LE if they thought something was up. There was video.

 

[Falling Down]

I just saw a surveillance video from the construction site in Georgia. It shows what looks like Ahmaud (same clothing) walking into the construction site and looking around. It was in the middle of a bright sunny day where anyone could see him. He was not creeping around. I don't know about anyone else but I've always gone into new construction, even as a kid. I loved seeing the bones of a home and imagining the layout, etc. The McMichaels should have called LE if they thought something was up. There was video.

Or minded their own business.

Could be a worker looking around.

JMO

 

[Ray_of_hope]

Or minded their own business.

Could be a worker looking around.

JMO

Exactly. He went in from the front yard and exited the same way. Not a big deal.
And yes, good point, he could have been a worker or a potential buyer.

 

[kaen]

Exactly. He went in from the front yard and exited the same way. Not a big deal.
And yes, good point, he could have been a worker or a potential buyer.

If he was seen by these men exiting the yard, they could have just asked who he was and if he needed something. My guess is that they were itching to confront someone they profiled as a potential thief.

In looking at the same video (New video in Ahmaud Arbery case offers a view of what happened moments before the deadly shooting), someone comes to the corner at 2:12:20 and is obscured by the trees before stepping back to a tree where they can be seen 2:12:40 with Mr. Arbery running out at ~2:13:50. Interesting to me.

edited to fix the time where I transposed the 12 as 21.

 

[tlcya]

When was the alleged theft of fishing gear supposed to have happened, and when was the first mention of it and to whom?

there some mention of it being one night "several" weeks prior in a couple of articles, no date specific is given and interestingly enough it was not reported until the day of the shooting, when police arrived to the scene of Arbery's shooting on February 23rd.

I find that very telling. So many reports of a trespasser on the property going back into August 2019, but this particular theft of valuable goods was not worth reporting to police until after a man was shot during an alleged attempted citizen's arrest. It appears the law in GA allows for a citizen's arrest if the citizen witnessed a felony.

the 11th hour after Arbery's death report of stolen a while back $2500 worth of tools is not credible to me. GM knew darn well the rules on citizen's arrest. The were following and allegedly trying to arrest a trespasser (misdemeanor).

Then, most conveniently, right after they shot Arbery, a never before reported previous theft occurred which by all accounts was not witnessed and the 911 calls indicated previous trespassing incidents caught on camera showed an unidentifiable individual. Also IMO quite conveniently the value of the misc fishing gear stolen was worth enough to be considered a felony.

I have drawn my own conclusions about what is behind all of the above that.

Other's mileage may very.

 

[JaxFlaGal]

There are two videos in MSM now of AA (the victim) at the construction site. One is short footage inside the house under construction (GBI reviewing additional video in case of Ahmaud Arbery). There is also longer footage from a house across the street from the construction site (GBI reviewing additional video footage in Ahmaud Arbery case). The latter notes some key activities in the video, and I've noted key timestamps from that video and other local news sources below.

The timestamps on the camera from across the street appear to be an hour ahead of the actual time.

2/23
- 1:08 PM – 1:15 PM 2 calls received at Glynn-Brunswick 911 Center r.e. suspicious activity in Satilla Shores (County issues statement on Arbery shooting)
- 1:08 PM (timestamp is 2:08 PM but likely an hour off based on the 911 call at 1:08 PM (which also appears to be from a person visible in the video) with AA standing outside the house under construction. He walks up, pauses near the driveway, stands, and then enters the open garage at 1:09. By 1:10 he is outside again and goes to the back of the house.
- 1:13 PM AA bolts out of the front of the house running quickly. Not visibly carrying anything.
- 1:15 PM, GM and TM get into their pickup truck in front of their house and follow AA
- 1:19 PM the first Glynn County PD responding officer was driving past the construction site in response to the calls. Another article also noted that he reported hearing gunshots upon arrival to the neighborhood ((County issues statement on Arbery shooting).
1:22 PM 2nd responding unit drives past the construction site in response.


Another relevant note about the videos:
"The GBI released in a statement:
“We are indeed reviewing additional video footage and photographs as part of the active case. It is important to note that this footage was reviewed at the beginning of the GBI investigation and before the arrests of Gregory and Travis McMichael.” (GBI reviewing additional video in case of Ahmaud Arbery)

 

[kaen]

There are two videos in MSM now of AA (the victim) at the construction site. One is short footage inside the house under construction (GBI reviewing additional video in case of Ahmaud Arbery). There is also longer footage from a house across the street from the construction site (GBI reviewing additional video footage in Ahmaud Arbery case). The latter notes some key activities in the video, and I've noted key timestamps from that video and other local news sources below.

The timestamps on the camera from across the street appear to be an hour ahead of the actual time.

2/23
- 1:08 PM – 1:15 PM 2 calls received at Glynn-Brunswick 911 Center r.e. suspicious activity in Satilla Shores (County issues statement on Arbery shooting)
- 1:08 PM (timestamp is 2:08 PM but likely an hour off based on the 911 call at 1:08 PM (which also appears to be from a person visible in the video) with AA standing outside the house under construction. He walks up, pauses near the driveway, stands, and then enters the open garage at 1:09. By 1:10 he is outside again and goes to the back of the house.
- 1:13 PM AA bolts out of the front of the house running quickly. Not visibly carrying anything.
- 1:15 PM, GM and TM get into their pickup truck in front of their house and follow AA
- 1:19 PM the first Glynn County PD responding officer was driving past the construction site in response to the calls. Another article also noted that he reported hearing gunshots upon arrival to the neighborhood ((County issues statement on Arbery shooting).
1:22 PM 2nd responding unit drives past the construction site in response.

Thanks. I noticed in the video that a man walking to the corner and, then, standing alongside a tree at 2:12:20 and walks in the direction that Mr. Arbery went at 2:15:15 before turning around and walking down the street he started on at 2:15:55.

 

[branmuffin]

I don't think it was to quell tensions but rather to incite a division based on how some might look at the justifiable actions of his clients. If you look at this as a crime, they hunted him. If you look at this as protecting your neighborhood, all one's actions are justifiable based on a single burglary that might have been committed by this man of color.

I can't think of one instance how a man's death could be considered justifiable based on a prior random burglary in the neighbourhood. I would like someone to give me a for instance.

Because once we were broken into. While we were asleep. The intruders lifted the sliding glass door out of its frame and came in through the back garden. They stole our TV and stereo equipment. They tried to steal more but my husband's tangle of cords probably was too much for them. They also stole my purse. Which was hanging on the bannister at the top of the stairs. We were sleeping. We didn't wake up. Our dog didn't wake up (although at that time, he was going deaf). If they had come into our bedroom they could have done whatever they wanted to if murder was on their minds. It wouldn't have mattered if we'd had a gun; we would have been toast.

We only figured out in the morning what had happened because when I went downstairs the drapes were blowing in the breeze through the sliding glass doors. Minutes later, a cop knocked on our door with my purse in his hand. He'd found it on a street several blocks over.

Even after that unnerving experience, neither my husband nor I ever considered getting a weapon to protect ourselves. I am a big believer that weapons are the instigators of violence rather than an amelioration of violence.

So I'd really like you to explain how killing a
human being that you 'suspect' of a petty crime is justified.

 

[Hope4More]

Exactly. He went in from the front yard and exited the same way. Not a big deal.
And yes, good point, he could have been a worker or a potential buyer.

1. The owner of the house under construction was there, on the premises, at the time when someone, possibly Ahmaud, "trespassed" on his property. Unless the owner of the house is also the video-taping, co-chasing neighbor (and that doesn't seem to be the case), this owner witnessed a "trespassing" but wasn't bothered enough by it to even call LE, much less to arm himself and give chase.

2. McMichael Sr. seems to have been the first caller to 911 that day. If so, notice that he doesn't tell LE that he's going to give chase, doesn't say he's going to make a citizen's arrest, doesn't tell LE that he recognizes Ahmaud, and from available evidence, lies when he connects Ahmaud to multiple neighborhood burglaries (on both those counts).

3. In fact, even when Senior gave a statement to LE he
didn't tell them that he & junior chased Ahmaud in order to make a citizen's arrest. The police report lists Senior as a "witness," not a participant, even though in Senior's own words, he instigated the "hot pursuit of Ahmaud, and instructed Junior to grab a gun on the way out.

4. I don't know why senior & junior felt it necessary or OK to pursue Ahmaud. Lots of possibilities. But...legally, it doesn't matter. Neither had the legal right to make a "citizen's arrest." And, even if they did, that law doesn't allow them to use excessive force. Which they used even BEFORE threatening Ahmaud with drawn guns, by pursuing him in a truck, and repeatedly trying to force him off the road with that truck.

5. I don't why the video-taping neighbor got involved, nor why he felt compelled to videotape the pursuit. I'm glad he did film, and glad a defense atty leaked the footage, because it's obvious IMO that had he not, neither junior or senior would ever have been arrested.

That said, I'm just as glad that LE is now investigating him too. He wasn't just a witness, he was a participant, and a crucial one at that. Both the police report and his own video show that (at different times) he cut off Ahmaud's escape.

6. Ahmaud tried to escape his pursuers. Earlier, before the video begins, he had turned around and tried to flee back in the direction he had just been, AWAY from jr and senior. At that point, senior was in the truck. The videotaper blocked Ahmaud. Ahmaud turned again, ran again.

I can't imagine the terror he must have felt, being hunted down that way.

7. Senior lied in how he described what happened next. That's telling. But. It also doesn't matter legally, as relates to stand your ground, imo. Jr and Sr were the aggressors, start to finish, beginning when they grabbed their guns, and ending when Senior exited the truck to go stand, armed, in the open bed, facing Ahmaud as he was forced to run forward by the videotaper blocking his retreat, and when junior exited the truck, shotgun in his hands, blocking Ahmaud from running to the left, then moving towards him in front of the truck.

8. What I think I hear on the video, just as Ahmaud approaches the truck, is either junior or senior yelling at Ahmaud- "stop running, s-hithead!"

IMO, neither junior or senior intended to kill Ahmaud when they grabbed guns and chased after him. Neither do I think that junior had murder on his mind when he stepped out of the truck, shotgun in hand.

What I do believe is that both felt an extraordinarily disturbing sense of entitlement throughout, including a "right" to terrorize Ahmaud (I'm positive they knew they were doing exactly that); that both became
increasingly enraged when Ahmaud didn't "comply" with their demands, and that each made deliberate decisions to escalate their intimidation of/threats to Ahmaud.