The man who shot Ahmaud Arbery received a sentence Monday in Brunswick, Georgia, of life in prison on charges of committing a federal hate crime.
U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood handed down the sentence for Travis McMichael. However, McMichael was previously sentenced to life without parole regarding Arbery’s murder, the Associated Press (AP) reported Monday.
The outlet continued:
McMichael was one of three defendants convicted in February of federal hate crime charges. His father, Greg McMichael, and neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan had sentencing hearings scheduled later Monday.
The McMichaels armed themselves with guns and used a pickup truck to chase Arbery after he ran past their home on Feb. 23, 2020. Bryan joined the pursuit in his own truck and recorded cellphone video of McMichael blasting Arbery with a shotgun as Arbery threw punches and grabbed at the weapon.
Although the McMichaels later said they suspected Arbery of being a burglar, authorities said the man was not carrying a weapon and had not committed any crimes.
Ahmaud Arbery’s father Marcus Arbery speaks to reporters while Wanda Cooper-Jones stands by his side Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022 outside the federal courthouse in Brunswick, Ga. (AP Photo/Lewis Levine)
Once a jury found Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael, and William Bryan guilty in the murder of Arbery in November, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp made a strong statement about vigilante justice.
“Ahmaud Arbery was the victim of a vigilantism that has no place in Georgia,” Kemp declared.
In this image from video posted on Twitter Tuesday, May 5, 2020, Ahmaud Arbery stumbles and falls to the ground after being shot as Travis McMichael stands by holding a shotgun in a neighborhood outside Brunswick, Ga., on Feb. 23, 2020. (Twitter via AP)
He continued, “As legal efforts continue to hold accountable all who may be responsible, we hope the Arbery family, the Brunswick community, our state, and those around the nation who have been following his case can now move forward down a path of healing and reconciliation.”
Video footage showed Travis McMichael testifying in Arbery’s murder trial:
“I shot him,” he said, and when asked why, he added, “He had my gun. He struck me, it was obvious that he was attacking me that if he would have gotten the shotgun from me then it was a life or death situation.”
Meanwhile, Arbery’s father declared “all lives matter” once the jury found the men guilty in the murder case.
Marcus Arbery said such a thing should not happen to any person, no matter the color of their skin.
Father of Ahmaud Arbery just now: “ALL lives matter. I don’t want no daddy to watch his kid get shot down like that. It’s ALL our problem. So let’s keep fighting to make this a better place for all human beings. Love everybody! All human beings need to be treated equally.” ❤️👏🏼👑 pic.twitter.com/PlGwBeMlhU
— Michael Shellenberger (@ShellenbergerMD) November 24, 2021
“For real, all lives matter,” Arbery said. “Not just black children, we don’t want to see nobody go through this.”
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