3 men indicted on federal hate crime charges in Ahmaud Arbery killing
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A grand jury has charged three Georgia men with federal hate crimes and attempted kidnapping in the death of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man who was shot while jogging last year.
Gregory McMichael, 65; his son, Travis McMichael, 35; and William "Roddie" Bryan, 51, were each charged with one count of interference with rights and with one count of attempted kidnapping, according to a Justice Department statement.
Travis and Gregory McMichael also face charges of using guns to inflict violence.
The indictment alleges that the defendants used force and threats to intimidate and interfere with Arbery's right to use a public street because he was Black.
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The McMichaels chased Arbery through a suburban neighborhood of Brunswick, Ga., yelling at him, cutting off his jogging route with their truck, and threatening him with guns.
Arbery died during that encounter on Feb. 23, 2020. When a video capturing the confrontation was leaked and posted online that May, sparking widespread outrage, the case investigation sped up.
All three men were later charged in state court. They face state charges including murder, aggravated assault and false imprisonment. A trial date has not yet been set for that case.
Lawyers representing Travis McMichael told the Associated Press that they were upset "that the Justice Department bought the false narrative that the media and state prosecutors have promulgated."
"There is absolutely nothing in the indictment that identifies how this is a federal hate crime and it ignores without apology that Georgia law allows a citizen to detain a person who was committing burglaries until police arrive," attorneys Bob Rubin and Jason Sheffield told the AP.
Gregory McMichael's lawyers, Frank and Laura Hogue, did not immediately respond to NPR email and voicemail messages seeking comment. Attempts to contact Bryan's attorney, Kevin Gough, also were unanswered.
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