(NEW YORK) — Ahmaud Arbery’s mother said she is feeling especially thankful this Thanksgiving, after three men were found guilty of his murder.
“Today is Thanksgiving and I’m really, really thankful. My family and I are really, really thankful for the verdict we got yesterday,” Wanda Cooper-Jones told ABC News’ Whit Johnson in an interview Thursday on Good Morning America.
“We finally got justice for Ahmaud,” she added.
It’s been nearly two years since the 25-year-old Black man was gunned down while jogging in a mostly white southern Georgia neighborhood.
“We know that Ahmaud was targeted because he was a Black runner in a community that thought that his presence there was inappropriate,” Cooper-Jones’ attorney, Lee Merritt, said during the interview on GMA.
Merritt noted how prosecutors made a decision not to center their case on race but rather on the “criminal nature.”
“What I appreciated about the prosecution’s strategy was that they said Ahmaud Arbery was a citizen in the United States running on a free road, and that alone entitled him to life.” he said. “Not by virtue of any, you know, protected class that he belongs to. But we all enjoy these rights as citizens of the United States of America.”
On Wednesday, Travis McMichael, who fatally shot Arbery in February 2020, was convicted by a Glynn County jury on all nine charges, including malice murder and four counts of felony murder.
His father, Gregory McMichael, was found not guilty of malice murder but was convicted on all other charges, including four counts of felony murder.
Their neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, who recorded the incident on a cellphone, was found guilty on six charges, including three of the felony murder counts.
All three men face up to life in prison.
The 12-member jury, comprised of 11 white people and one Black person, announced the verdict after more than 11 hours of deliberations, spanning two days. Cooper-Jones, sitting in the courtroom, wept in relief.
“There’s just really no words to really explain all the emotions that I was going through at that time,” she said.
Although relieved, Cooper-Jones said she wasn’t that surprised by the verdict.
“I sat there every day, I heard the state present their evidence. I was very, very confident that they did a very good job of presenting their evidence,” she explained, “and I knew that if the jurors took that evidence, went back and deliberated over the evidence that was presented, that we would get justice for Ahmaud — and we did.”
When asked whether she had a message for the three defendants, Cooper-Jones replied: “I would simply tell them that their bad decisions have impacted two families — my family and again their family.”
“Not only did the McMichaels lose a son, they lost a grandfather and they will be impacted by his grandchild,” she said. “I lost a son, but they lost three generations there.”
ABC News’ Kelly McCarthy contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.1 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 775,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
Just 59.1% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Latest headlines:
-Germany’s COVID-19 death toll tops 100,000 as cases surge
-Only 1 in 4 health workers in Africa are fully vaccinated: WHO
-Daily case average up 46% since October
-Deaths, hospitalizations predicted to increase in weeks to come
Here’s how the new is developing. All times Eastern.
Nov 25, 8:40 am
Germany’s COVID-19 death toll tops 100,000 as cases surge
Germany has become the latest country to surpass 100,000 deaths from COVID-19 since the pandemic began, according to official figures released Thursday.
The Western European country recorded 351 fatalities from the disease in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 100,119, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute, Germany’s public health agency.
In Europe, Germany is the fifth country to reach that grim milestone, after Russia, the United Kingdom, Italy and France.
Germany, the largest economy in Europe, is among several countries on the continent that are grappling with a recent resurgence in COVID-19 cases. Last week, the German government imposed tougher restrictions to curb the new wave of infections, as hospital beds quickly fill up.
German Health Minister Jens Spahn warned citizens that their survival could hinge on their vaccination status.
“Some would say this is cynical but probably by the end of this winter, pretty much everyone in Germany will be vaccinated, recovered or dead,” Spahn told reporters in Berlin on Monday. “That’s the reality.”
Nov 25, 8:22 am
Only 1 in 4 health workers in Africa are fully vaccinated: WHO
Just 27% of health workers in Africa, the world’s second-largest continent, have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a preliminary analysis by the World Health Organization.
The WHO said an analysis of data reported from 25 African nations found that, since March, only 1.3 million health workers are fully vaccinated. Just six of those countries have fully vaccinated 90% of their health workers, while nine countries have less than 40%. Meanwhile, a recent WHO global study of 22 mostly high-income nations found that over 80% of their health workers are fully vaccinated.
“The majority of Africa’s health workers are still missing out on vaccines and remain dangerously exposed to severe COVID-19 infection,” Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO’s regional director for Africa, said in a statement Thursday. “Unless our doctors, nurses and other frontline workers get full protection we risk a blowback in the efforts to curb this disease. We must ensure our health facilities are safe working environments.”
Nov 24, 7:11 pm
New Hampshire to establish ‘surge centers’
Amid a record-setting COVID-19 surge, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu signed an executive order allowing hospitals to establish temporary acute care centers, or internal “surge centers,” in an effort to increase bed capacity.
“We are seeing record levels of cases; we’re seeing record levels of hospitalizations. This winter surge that we predicted is unfortunately now rearing its ugly head. We are definitely in the throes of it,” Sununu said during a press conference on Tuesday.
The state is also working to identify whether the National Guard can play a role in supporting hospitals.
“I think the next few weeks are going to be very telling. I think it’s going to be a fairly bumpy road. We just want everyone to be vaccinated. Be safe because the system right now is at an emergency point,” Sununu added.
The governor made clear that this executive order is not a state of emergency.
ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Nov 24, 12:13 pm
Daily case average up 46% since October
Hospital admissions in the U.S. are up by 15% over the last two weeks, according to federal data.
These states and Washington, D.C, have seen at least a 10% increase in hospital admissions over the last week: Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin.
The U.S. daily case average has jumped by more than 46% since late October, according to federal data.
The Northeast and Midwest are seeing the greatest increase in cases and hospitalizations.
In Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont, case averages are up 30%.
(NEW YORK) — As families gather across the country to celebrate Thanksgiving and give thanks, many are struggling to fill their kitchens with fresh food and groceries.
The U.S. has made virtually no progress toward solving this issue of food insecurity in the last two years, according to United States Department of Agriculture data. More than 10% of U.S. households (13.8 million) were food insecure at some time during 2020, unchanged from 2019, the government said.
This problem has particularly hit Black and brown communities hard.
During the pandemic, residents in Harlem, New York, leaned on local organizations like New York City’s The Brotherhood Sister Sol for resources, guidance and food. The group has taken matters of food insecurity into its own hands with a weekly grocery distribution that feeds more than 500 families in the neighborhood.
The organization says it’s on track to distribute more than 1 million meals by the end of 2021.
“Each and every week, families just express immense relief at the fact that BroSis continues to support them in these ways,” said Brittany Reyes, Sister Sol coordinator at BroSis.
The organization is handing out turkeys and holiday favorites this week but community members are dependent year-round on others for food. In New York alone, about 19% of New Yorkers live in poverty, according to the City of New York.
Khary Lazarre-White, BroSis co-founder and executive director, said, “This is a community that’s still desperately in need because of a lack of investment in communities like Harlem and the South Bronx.”
Food insecurity means that families have insufficient funds and resources to provide adequate food for their household throughout the year.
About four in 10 households with Hispanic/Latinx or Black parents reported food insecurity, according to a 2020 study from the Urban Institute, an economic and social policy think tank. That’s almost triple what households with white parents reported.
Food insecurity is a symptom of larger systemic issues like poverty, said Elaine Waxman, a senior fellow at Urban Institute. Low-income families are often forced to trade off different kinds of necessities and expenses, sometimes leaving food off the table.
Not having consistent access to healthy food or stable food sources can have long-term effects on one’s health and well-being, especially for children and adolescents who rely on food for their developmental growth, health experts say.
“It’s really important to frame food insecurity as a public health issue,” Waxman said.
People who are food insecure are more likely to have chronic diet-related diseases and are likely less able to manage it, according to research by the USDA. The study also showed that food insecurity is also often associated with cognitive delays and behavioral challenges in children and adolescents.
“We’re probably the wealthiest country in the history in recorded history, yet we have food insecurity [at a level] that is just incredibly alarming,” said Luis Guardia, the president of the Food Research and Action Center, a national nonprofit research organization working to eradicate poverty.
Several tools that Guardia calls the “country’s first line of defense against hunger” have been proven to reduce hunger. The federal government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program allows impoverished families to purchase food in authorized grocery stores. National school meal programs help feed children while they’re at school throughout the day — a system that proved to be critical during the pandemic when schools shut down.
Waxman and Guardia, however, said these programs still have their flaws and are in need of expansion. SNAP benefits are inadequate compared to local food prices in some locations and some Americans earn just above the income required to attain these benefits.
“What we need is the political will,” said Guardia. “There really shouldn’t be any excuse for anyone to go hungry in this country.” But the expansion of these programs throughout the pandemic helped keep the country on track during a period where it would have been expected it to implode, Waxman said.
“The problem is that we don’t lean into these problems long term,” Waxman said. “We have that short Band-Aid kind of approach. My concern is that while the overall unemployment rate is improving, it’s not that way for everyone and yet, we’re already pulling back all kinds of systems.”
She went on, “Will we learn lessons from the pandemic and know that we can actually make a significant difference?”
Food insecurity experts and the organizers at BroSis concede that grassroots food distribution efforts and pantries aren’t permanent solutions to the problem.
MORE: Chefs, organizations join together to fight food insecurity this Thanksgiving
“We have a tendency sometimes to assume the charitable food system will just sort of pick up all the pieces — and they’ve done a heroic job during the pandemic — but that’s supposed to be a workaround,” Waxman said. “It shouldn’t be a primary safety net for anyone.”
Added Lazarre-White: “The only entity that can respond to the level of inequality that produces food insecurity and hunger in our country is government. No private philanthropy can do that. Certainly no independent nonprofit can do that.”
For now, BroSis will continue to fill the gaps — showing up every Wednesday to feed the families who rely on them.
“So I think what we have to do is frame this work as justice work,” said Lazarre-White. “The issue of basic rights, of housing, of education and food — these are things that are human rights.”
(NEW YORK) — With coronavirus infection rates back on the rise, many Americans are wondering why the U.S. is, once again, experiencing surge in cases and hospitalizations, despite widespread vaccinations.
The U.S. is now reporting more than 94,000 new COVID-19 cases each day — up by 47% since late October. And 35 states — nearly all of them in the north or mountain region — have seen an uptick in daily cases of 10% or more in the last two weeks.
Just under 53,000 COVID-19 positive patients are currently receiving care in hospitals across the country — up by more than 7,000 patients from earlier this month.
Several states — including Michigan, Maine and New Hampshire — are experiencing record-breaking surges.
Experts say a confluence of factors is likely driving the country’s recent increases in infections, including the more than 100 million Americans who remain completely unvaccinated, cold weather and relaxed restrictions, the highly transmissible delta variant, and waning vaccine immunity.
Unvaccinated Americans continue to drive COVID-19 transmission
According to health officials, the vast majority of infections and severe hospitalizations continue to be among the unvaccinated.
This September, federal data showed that unvaccinated individuals have a 5.8 times greater risk of testing positive for COVID-19, and a 14 times greater risk of dying from it, as compared to those fully vaccinated.
“The thing we are concerned about is the people who are not vaccinated, because what they’re doing is they’re the major source of the dynamics of the infection in the community,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House’s chief medical adviser, said during an appearance on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday. “The higher the level of dynamics of infection, the more everyone is at risk.”
Across the country, more than 101 million Americans remain completely unvaccinated — 81 million of whom are currently over the age of 5, and thus are eligible to be vaccinated.
The significant number of unvaccinated individuals — about 30.5% of the total population — leaves millions at-risk and completely unprotected against the virus.
Relaxed restrictions, increased travel, and colder weather pushing people indoors
With winter arriving, and the holiday season on the horizon, many Americans are spending more time indoors, as the weather gets colder. COVID-19, as well as other respiratory illnesses, has been shown to spread more in indoor settings, and when people are forced to be in close proximity to one another.
Millions of Americans are also once again traveling, taking to the air, the railways and the highways. A total of 53.4 million people are expected to travel for Thanksgiving, up 13% from 2020, according to estimates from AAA.
Although masking is required in all forms of public transportation, across the country, COVID-19 restrictions are sparse, with few jurisdictions now requiring face coverings or social distancing.
“We’re seeing cases trickle up, this is probably likely due to waning immunity, but also because of the colder temperatures people are gathering indoors and adhering less to social distancing and masking,” John Brownstein, an epidemiologist at Boston Children’s Hospital and an ABC News contributor, told “World News Tonight.” “Unfortunately, that is a recipe for an increase in transmission this holiday season.”
Masking has been shown to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission, and is still recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in crowded outdoor settings and for activities with close contact with others who are not fully vaccinated.
Delta variant remains highly transmissible
In the U.S., federal data shows that the delta variant accounts for 99.9% of new coronavirus cases. According to the CDC, delta is far more transmissible than prior variants.
Many of the country’s northern states were not as hard hit by the delta surge over the summer. Those states are just now feeling the impacts of the delta variant. Comparatively, states like Florida, which bore the brunt of the summer delta surge, are reporting very low COVID-19 infection numbers.
“We’re seeing is pockets of surges across this country, the Midwest being one but also in the Northeast,” Brownstein said
The delta variant spreads more easily among vaccinated people than prior versions of the virus, though vaccinated people are still far less likely to spread the virus compared to unvaccinated people.
Vaccine immunity is waning
Although the vast majority of infections and severe hospitalizations are among the unvaccinated, breakthrough positive COVID-19 cases among the vaccinated do appear to be on the rise, due to waning immunity, according to health officials.
“There’s no doubt that immunity wanes. It wanes in everyone. It’s more dangerous in the elderly, but it’s across all age groups,” Fauci said earlier this month, citing data from Israel and the U.K., where more people were vaccinated sooner and began to first document waning immunity.
Experts stress that the vaccines remain highly effective against severe COVID-19 illness.
Boosters are now recommended for everyone 18 and older, at least six months after an initial Pfizer or Moderna vaccination, or two months after a Johnson & Johnson shot.
(WASHINGTON) — Ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the FBI are urging vigilance to ward off ransomware attacks, asking companies to implement multi-factor authentication and employees not to click on suspicious emails.
“While we are not currently aware of a specific threat, we know that threat actors don’t take holidays,” said CISA Director Jen Easterly in a statement. “We will continue to provide timely and actionable information to help our industry and government partners stay secure and resilient during the holiday season. We urge all organizations to remain vigilant and report any cyber incidents to CISA or FBI.”
“Specifically, malicious cyber actors have often taken advantage of holidays and weekends to disrupt critical networks and systems belonging to organizations, businesses, and critical infrastructure,” the statement continues.
Colonial Pipeline, which is responsible for gas lines that run through the country, was targeted with a ransomware attack over Mother’s Day weekend. JBS meat supplier became a victim of a ransomware attack over Memorial Day weekend. Kaseya, an IT company that provides services to businesses, was hit with a ransomware attack over the Fourth of July weekend.
On Thursday, Gen. Paul Nakasone, commander of U.S. Cyber Command and director of the National Security Agency, told ABC News’ Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas that he first believed ransomware was a criminal matter outside the NSA’s purview, but after the influx of ransomware attacks, he came to believe it was a matter of national security.
After the Colonial Pipeline attack, Nakasone pushed his agency to “lean in” to the ransomware problem.
“This is an issue that we need to put the command and the agency towards,” Nakasone said. “We need to surge on this issue. What do we need to do to make sure that we can assist in any way possible?”
The Department of Homeland Security said ransomware attacks have increased 300% from 2019 to 2020.
“Why is the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber command focused on this?” Nakasone said. “Because it’s a national security issue, and we’re going to put our best people forward to make sure that we address it.”
(BRUNSWICK, Ga.) — A chant of “Ahmaud Arbery” erupted outside the Georgia courtroom, where three men were found guilty of his murder Wednesday after a weekslong, closely watched trial.
“It’s been a long fight, it’s been a hard fight, but God is good,” Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, said during a press briefing following the verdict, which came nearly two years after the 25-year-old Black man was fatally shot while jogging in February 2020. “To tell you the truth, back in 2020, I never thought this day would come, but God is good.”
Her son “will now rest in peace,” she added.
“Today is a good day,” his father, Marcus Arbery, told the crowd gathered outside.
Rev. Al Sharpton, who showed up in support of the family throughout the trial, said the verdict was historic.
“Let the word go forth all over the world that a jury of 11 whites and one Black in the Deep South stood up in the courtroom and said that Black lives do matter,” he said during the briefing.
Ben Crump, attorney for Arbery’s family, said the moment is “not a celebration” but a “reflection.”
“The spirit of Ahmaud defeated the lynch mob,” he told the crowd to cheers.
The Cobb County District Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. Latonia Hines, executive assistant district attorney for the office, thanked the family for their “confidence” in getting justice for Arbery.
“It has been a long road, and we are so happy that we’re able to be here at this end of this road,” Hines said during the briefing. “We commend the courage and bravery of this jury to say that what happened on Feb. 23, 2020, to Ahmaud Arbery, the hunting and killing of Ahmaud Arbery, it was not only morally wrong, but legally wrong, and we are thankful for that.”
Linda Dunikoski, the lead prosecutor, said the verdict proves the jury system works.
“The verdict today was a verdict based on the facts, based on the evidence, and that was our goal, was to bring that to that jury so that they do the right thing,” she told the crowd. “When you present the truth to people and they can see it, they will do the right thing. And that’s what this jury did today in getting justice for Ahmaud Arbery.”
Defense plans to appeal
Following the verdicts, attorneys for Gregory McMichael, who was found not guilty of malice murder but was convicted on the remaining charges, including the felony murder counts, said they will appeal. Laura Hogue said in the courtroom that she was “very disappointed.” Frank Hogue said they will appeal — a process that can start once sentencing is done.
Gregory McMichael’s son, Travis McMichael, who fatally shot Arbery, was convicted on all nine charges, including malice murder and four counts of felony murder. His attorneys, Robert Rubin and Jason Sheffield, said they also plan to appeal.
“This is a very difficult day for Travis McMichael and Greg McMichael,” Sheffield told reporters. “These are two men who honestly believe that what they were doing was the right thing to do. However, the Glynn County jury has spoken, they have found them guilty and they will be sentenced.”
The McMichael’s neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, 53, who recorded the incident on a cellphone, was found guilty of three of the felony murder counts and a charge of criminal intent to commit a felony. His attorney, Kevin Gough, told reporters he was obviously “very disappointed” in the verdict.
“But we have to respect that verdict. That’s the American way,” he said.
He said he plans to file a motion for a new trial on behalf of Bryan next week.
Defense attorneys had argued that Arbery was shot in self-defense when he resisted a citizen’s arrest. Prosecutors meanwhile alleged the defendants pursued and murdered Arbery because of incorrect “assumptions and driveway decisions” they made that the Black man running through their Satilla Shores neighborhood had committed a burglary.
Reaction from Georgia and beyond
President Joe Biden reacted to the jury’s decision, saying Arbery “should be here today” and that “the verdict ensures that those who committed this horrible crime will be punished.”
“While the guilty verdicts reflect our justice system doing its job, that alone is not enough. Instead, we must recommit ourselves to building a future of unity and shared strength, where no one fears violence because of the color of their skin,” he said in a statement.
Vice President Kamala Harris also released a statement, saying the verdicts “send an important message,” but there is still “work to do.”
She also criticized the defense counsel, saying they “chose to set a tone that cast the attendance of ministers at the trial as intimidation and dehumanized a young Black man with racist tropes,” adding that despite those tactics, the jury still delivered these verdicts.
Georgia leaders also reacted in support of the jury’s decision.
“Ahmaud Arbery was the victim of a vigilantism that has no place in Georgia,” Gov. Brian Kemp said in a statement on Twitter. “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.”
Georgia Attorney General Chriss Carr said the verdict “brings us one step closer to justice, healing and reconciliation for Ahmaud’s family, the community, the state and the nation.”
Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., said the verdict “upholds a sense of accountability, but not true justice.”
“True justice looks like a Black man not having to worry about being harmed — or killed — while on a jog, while sleeping in his bed, while living what should be a very long life,” he said in a statement. “Ahmaud should be with us today.”
Rep. Nikema Williams, chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia, said in a statement that the verdicts mean “we must double down on our efforts to fight hatred, and we will not stop until no American’s life is cut short due to bigotry or reckless vigilantism.”
“I am praying for the Arbery family as they continue grieving their insurmountable loss, for Brunswick as the community works to heal, and for the country as we carry on in the march towards justice,” she continued.
More reaction
Political leaders and civil rights organizations also voiced support for the verdict while acknowledging that more needs to be done against what was characterized as “vigilantes acting with racial animus” by Congressional Black Caucus Chair Joyce Beatty.
“The Congressional Black Caucus will continue to champion criminal justice reform and common-sense gun control measures because vigilante justice has no place in our society. Our thoughts and our prayers remain with the family and loved ones of Mr. Arbery,” Beatty said in a statement.
Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said this was a “significant moment of accountability and justice.”
“The men who murdered Mr. Arbery were tried and found guilty of the crime, sending a resounding message across Georgia and the United States that racial violence — especially that committed under the false guise of vigilantism — is unacceptable,” he said in a statement.
The American Civil Liberties Union called for “meaningful systemic transformation.”
“Across the country, we see local and grassroots organizations leading the fight for this transformation,” the organization said on Twitter. “We join them in re-imagining a future where Black people can thrive free of police violence or vigilantism. The true measure of justice is not in a verdict, but in making a future where people don’t live in fear of racialized violence. We will not stop doing the long hard work to achieve this future.”
Despite the verdict, the case “leaves a deep and painful wound on our nation’s soul,” the National Urban League said in a statement.
“Thanks to faithful prayer and a skilled prosecution, we are relieved to know that the jury was able to see the truth and hold these killers accountable for the senseless murder of Ahmaud Arbery,” the statement said. “Still, we must dedicate ourselves to shining the light of scrutiny on what happened in this case to ensure that racially-motivated vigilante violence never again is condoned or tolerated.”
(NEW YORK) — A chant of “Ahmaud Arbery” erupted outside the Georgia courtroom, where three men were found guilty of his murder Wednesday after a weekslong, closely watched trial.
“It’s been a long fight, it’s been a hard fight, but God is good,” Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, said during a press briefing following the verdict, which came nearly two years after the 25-year-old Black man was fatally shot while jogging in February 2020. “To tell you the truth, back in 2020, I never thought this day would come, but God is good.”
Her son “will now rest in peace,” she added.
“Today is a good day,” his father, Marcus Arbery, told the crowd gathered outside.
Rev. Al Sharpton, who showed up in support of the family throughout the trial, said the verdict was historic.
“Let the word go forth all over the world that a jury of 11 whites and one Black in the Deep South stood up in the courtroom and said that Black lives do matter,” he said during the briefing.
Ben Crump, attorney for Arbery’s family, said the moment is “not a celebration” but a “reflection.”
“The spirit of Ahmaud defeated the lynch mob,” he told the crowd to cheers.
The Cobb County District Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. Latonia Hines, executive assistant district attorney for the office, thanked the family for their “confidence” in getting justice for Arbery.
“It has been a long road, and we are so happy that we’re able to be here at this end of this road,” Hines said during the briefing. “We commend the courage and bravery of this jury to say that what happened on Feb. 23, 2020, to Ahmaud Arbery, the hunting and killing of Ahmaud Arbery, it was not only morally wrong, but legally wrong, and we are thankful for that.”
Linda Dunikoski, the lead prosecutor, said the verdict proves the jury system works.
“The verdict today was a verdict based on the facts, based on the evidence, and that was our goal, was to bring that to that jury so that they do the right thing,” she told the crowd. “When you present the truth to people and they can see it, they will do the right thing. And that’s what this jury did today in getting justice for Ahmaud Arbery.”
Defense plans to appeal
Following the verdicts, attorneys for Gregory McMichael, who was found not guilty of malice murder but was convicted on the remaining charges, including the felony murder counts, said they will appeal. Laura Hogue said in the courtroom that she was “very disappointed.” Frank Hogue said they will appeal — a process that can start once sentencing is done.
Gregory McMichael’s son, Travis McMichael, who fatally shot Arbery, was convicted on all nine charges, including malice murder and four counts of felony murder. His attorneys, Robert Rubin and Jason Sheffield, said they also plan to appeal.
“This is a very difficult day for Travis McMichael and Greg McMichael,” Sheffield told reporters. “These are two men who honestly believe that what they were doing was the right thing to do. However, the Glynn County jury has spoken, they have found them guilty and they will be sentenced.”
The McMichael’s neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, 53, who recorded the incident on a cellphone, was found guilty of three of the felony murder counts and a charge of criminal intent to commit a felony. His attorney, Kevin Gough, told reporters he was obviously “very disappointed” in the verdict.
“But we have to respect that verdict. That’s the American way,” he said.
He said he plans to file a motion for a new trial on behalf of Bryan next week.
Defense attorneys had argued that Arbery was shot in self-defense when he resisted a citizen’s arrest. Prosecutors meanwhile alleged the defendants pursued and murdered Arbery because of incorrect “assumptions and driveway decisions” they made that the Black man running through their Satilla Shores neighborhood had committed a burglary.
President Joe Biden reacted to the jury’s decision, saying Arbery “should be here today” and that “the verdict ensures that those who committed this horrible crime will be punished.”
“While the guilty verdicts reflect our justice system doing its job, that alone is not enough. Instead, we must recommit ourselves to building a future of unity and shared strength, where no one fears violence because of the color of their skin,” he said in a statement.
Vice President Kamala Harris also released a statement, saying the verdicts “send an important message,” but there is still “work to do.”
She also criticized the defense counsel, saying they “chose to set a tone that cast the attendance of ministers at the trial as intimidation and dehumanized a young Black man with racist tropes,” adding that despite those tactics, the jury still delivered these verdicts.
Georgia leaders also reacted in support of the jury’s decision.
“Ahmaud Arbery was the victim of a vigilantism that has no place in Georgia,” Gov. Brian Kemp said in a statement on Twitter. “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.”
Georgia Attorney General Chriss Carr said the verdict “brings us one step closer to justice, healing and reconciliation for Ahmaud’s family, the community, the state and the nation.”
Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., said the verdict “upholds a sense of accountability, but not true justice.”
“True justice looks like a Black man not having to worry about being harmed — or killed — while on a jog, while sleeping in his bed, while living what should be a very long life,” he said in a statement. “Ahmaud should be with us today.”
Rep. Nikema Williams, chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia, said in a statement that the verdicts mean “we must double down on our efforts to fight hatred, and we will not stop until no American’s life is cut short due to bigotry or reckless vigilantism.”
“I am praying for the Arbery family as they continue grieving their insurmountable loss, for Brunswick as the community works to heal, and for the country as we carry on in the march towards justice,” she continued.
More reaction
Political leaders and civil rights organizations also voiced support for the verdict while acknowledging that more needs to be done against what was characterized as “vigilantes acting with racial animus” by Congressional Black Caucus Chair Joyce Beatty.
“The Congressional Black Caucus will continue to champion criminal justice reform and common-sense gun control measures because vigilante justice has no place in our society. Our thoughts and our prayers remain with the family and loved ones of Mr. Arbery,” Beatty said in a statement.
Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said this was a “significant moment of accountability and justice.”
“The men who murdered Mr. Arbery were tried and found guilty of the crime, sending a resounding message across Georgia and the United States that racial violence — especially that committed under the false guise of vigilantism — is unacceptable,” he said in a statement.
The American Civil Liberties Union called for “meaningful systemic transformation.”
“Across the country, we see local and grassroots organizations leading the fight for this transformation,” the organization said on Twitter. “We join them in re-imagining a future where Black people can thrive free of police violence or vigilantism. The true measure of justice is not in a verdict, but in making a future where people don’t live in fear of racialized violence. We will not stop doing the long hard work to achieve this future.”
Despite the verdict, the case “leaves a deep and painful wound on our nation’s soul,” the National Urban League said in a statement.
“Thanks to faithful prayer and a skilled prosecution, we are relieved to know that the jury was able to see the truth and hold these killers accountable for the senseless murder of Ahmaud Arbery,” the statement said. “Still, we must dedicate ourselves to shining the light of scrutiny on what happened in this case to ensure that racially-motivated vigilante violence never again is condoned or tolerated.”
Watch the full story on the Ahmaud Arbery case and trial on “20/20” Friday at 9 p.m. ET
(ATLANTA) — A Georgia jury convicted three white men of murder on Wednesday in the death of Ahmaud Arbery, 21 months after the 25-year-old Black man was chased down and shot to death while out for a Sunday jog.
Travis McMichael, who fatally shot Arbery in February 2020, was convicted on all nine charges, including malice murder, four counts of felony murder, aggravated assault with a shotgun, aggravated assault with a pickup truck, false imprisonment and criminal intent to commit a felony.
McMichael’s father, Gregory McMichael, 65, a former Georgia police officer, was found not guilty of malice murder but was convicted on the remaining charges, including the felony murder counts.
The McMichael’s neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, 53, was found guilty of three of the felony murder counts as well as charges of aggravated assault with his pickup truck, false imprisonment and criminal intent to commit a felony.
‘A long fight’
“It’s been a long fight, it’s been a hard fight. God is good,” Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, said during a news conference outside the courthouse surrounded by supporters and her primary lawyers, Ben Crump and Lee Merritt.
Calling her son, Ahmaud, by his nickname “Quez,” Cooper-Jones said, “He will now rest in peace.”
Arbery’s father, Marcus Arbery, added, “Today is a good day.”
The jury verdicts were read in court by the presiding judge in the case, Timothy Walmsley.
Marcus Arbery, who was in the courtroom, shouted out “long time coming” as the verdicts were read. The outburst prompted Walmsley to halt the proceedings briefly and order Marcus Arbery to leave the court.
As the verdicts were read in court, none of the defendants showed any emotions.
Outside the courthouse, a huge collective cheer went up from a large crowd of protesters.
The Rev. Al Sharpton, who was in Brunswick throughout the trial and sat in the courtroom with Arbery’s parents, led a prayer of thanks outside the courthouse, “we’ve never had a Thanksgiving Day like today.”
“Let the word go out all over the world that a jury of 11 whites and one Black in the deep South stood up in the courtroom and said Black lives do matter,” Sharpton said.
President Joe Biden released a statement following the verdicts saying Ahmaud “should be here today” and that “the verdict ensures that those who committed this horrible crime will be punished.”
“While the guilty verdicts reflect our justice system doing its job, that alone is not enough. Instead, we must recommit ourselves to building a future of unity and shared strength, where no one fears violence because of the color of their skin,” Biden’s statement read.
Prosecutor says jury ‘did the right thing’
The lead prosecutor in case, Linda Dunikoski, joined Arbery’s parents at the post-verdict news conference to thank them for putting their faith in her and her prosecution team, saying, “This was a gigantic team effort.”
“The verdict today was a verdict based on the facts, based on the evidence. That was our goal,” Dunikoski said. “The jury system works in this country and when you present the truth to people and they see it, they will do the right thing and that’s what this jury did today in getting justice for Ahmaud Arbery.”
Dunikoski was tapped to lead the prosecution team after Cobb County District Attorney Broady Flynn was appointed as the special prosecutor in the Glynn County case after two previous district attorneys refused to file charges against the men, finding their actions appeared justified. Former Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney Jackie Johnson, who once had a working relationship with Gregory McMichael, was accused of mishandling the case, leading to her indictment in September on felony charges of violating her oath of office and obstructing police.
The McMichaels were arrested and charged with Arbery’s murder about two months after the fatal Feb. 23, 2020 shooting in the Satilla Shores neighborhood near Brunswick. Bryan was arrested about two weeks later.
The arrests came only after a cellphone video Bryan took of the confrontation that captured part of the shooting and was heavily used by both prosecutors and defense attorneys during the trial was leaked to the media despite Bryan having turned it over to Glynn County police on the day of the killing.
“To tell you the truth, back in 2020 I never thought this day would come, but God is good,” Cooper-Jones said.
Verdict delivered
The jury sent Walmsley a note around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday saying they had reached a verdict after deliberating about 11 hours over two days.
The panel began deliberating the nationally televised trial on Tuesday after hearing 13 days of evidence and listening to numerous witnesses, including the testimony of defendant Travis McMichael, 35, who claimed he shot the unarmed Arbery with a shotgun in self-defense during a face-to-face fight over his weapon.
The McMichaels and Bryan had all pleaded not guilty to a nine-count state indictment. The charges included malice murder, multiple charges of felony murder, false imprisonment, aggravated assault with a 12-gauge shotgun and aggravated assault with their pickup trucks.
Travis McMichael, who testified in his own defense, claimed he shot the unarmed Arbery in self-defense after Arbery resisted a citizen’s arrest after he and his father suspected him of burglarizing a home under construction in their neighborhood.
The defendants all face a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Travis McMichael’s attorneys, Bob Rubin and Jason Sheffield, said they plan to appeal.
“This is a very difficult day for Travis McMichael and Greg McMichael. These are two men who honestly believed that what they were doing was the right thing to do,” Sheffield said. “However, the Glynn County jury has spoken. They have found them guilty and they will be sentenced and that is a very disappointing and sad verdict.”
During the trial, the jury heard wildly different theories based on the same evidence in the racially charged case. Prosecutors alleged the defendants pursued and murdered Arbery because of wrong “assumptions and driveway decisions” they made that the Black man running through their neighborhood had committed a burglary, while defense attorneys countered that Arbery was shot in self-defense when he resisted a citizen’s arrest.
Prosecutors claimed Arbery was out for a Sunday jog and was spotted by a community resident inside a home that was under construction where Arbery had been previously captured on security video looking around but never taking anything, according to the evidence.
The chase of Arbery started when Gregory McMichael, a retired Glynn County police officer, spotted Arbery running past his home. Prosecutors said Gregory McMichael rushed into his residence to fetch his gun and his son, Travis, who armed himself with a Remington pump-action shotgun before they got into a truck and chased after the Black man.
Bryan, who lived near the McMichaels, joined the chase not knowing why the McMichaels were chasing Arbery and told investigators that he used his truck to help corner Arbery just before Travis McMichael shot him.
(ATLANTA) — A Georgia jury resumed deliberating on Wednesday the fates of three white men charged with trapping Ahmaud Arbery with their pickup trucks and fatally shooting him.
“Your oath requires that you will decide this case based on the evidence,” Judge Timothy Walmsley told the jury before sending the panel off to begin their deliberations on Tuesday.
The jury got the case after Linda Dunikoski, the Cobb County, Georgia, assistant district attorney appointed as a special prosecutor in the Glynn County case, took two hours to rebut the closing arguments made on Monday by attorneys for the three defendants.
The jury, comprised of 11 white people and one Black person, heard wildly different summations on Monday of the same evidence in the racially-charged case. Dunikoski alleged the defendants pursued and murdered Arbery because of wrong assumptions they made that the Black man running through their neighborhood had committed a burglary, while defense attorneys countered that Arbery was shot in self-defense when he resisted a citizen’s arrest.
Travis McMichael, the 35-year-old U.S. Coast Guard veteran; his father, Gregory McMichael, 65, a retired Glynn County police officer, and their neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, 53, each face maximum sentences of life in prison if convicted on all the charges.
The defendants have pleaded not guilty to a nine-count state indictment that includes malice murder, multiple charges of felony murder, false imprisonment, aggravated assault with a 12-gauge shotgun and aggravated assault with their pickup trucks.
The McMichaels and Bryan were also indicted on federal hate crime charges in April and have all pleaded not guilty.
Latest headlines:
-Jury resumes deliberations
-Jury sent home for the night
-Defense attorneys call for a mistrial
-‘Ignorance of the law is no excuse’: Prosecutor
-Travis McMichael’s attorney gives closing argument
-Prosecutor says defendants attacked Arbery because he was Black
Here’s how the news developed. All times Eastern.
Nov 24, 3:05 pm
McMichael plans to appeal: Attorneys
Attorneys for Gregory McMichael say they will appeal, after McMichael, his son Travis, and William “Roddie” Bryan were all found guilty Wednesday of murdering Ahmaud Arbery.
Laura Hogue, one of Gregory McMichael’s lawyers, said she was “very disappointed” and attorney Frank Hogue said they will appeal, which can only begin once sentencing is done.
ABC News’ Janice McDonald
Nov 24, 2:10 pm
Guilty verdicts for McMichaels, Bryan
A Georgia jury has convicted three white men of murder in the death of Ahmaud Arbery.
Travis McMichael, who shot fatally shot Arbery in February 2020, was convicted on all nine charges, including malice murder and four counts of felony murder.
Gregory McMichael, 65, was found not guilty of malice murder, but was convicted on the remaining charges, including the felony murder counts.
The McMichael’s neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, 53, was found guilty of three of the felony murder counts and a charge of criminal intent to commit a felony.
Here is a full breakdown of the verdicts.
Nov 24, 10:11 am
Jury asks to view video of Arbery shooting
The jury was shown multiple times the now-famous video showing a struggle between Travis McMichael and Ahmaud Arbery over McMichael’s shotgun that partly captured the fatal shooting.
The panel sent a note to Judge Walmsley asking to view a short version of the video and an enhanced, high-contrast video of the deadly struggle. As per their request, the jury was played the videos three times each.
It was the first request from the jury to review any evidence in the case since they began deliberating on Tuesday.
The jury also asked to hear a 911 call between Greg McMichael and a police dispatcher around the time of the shooting on Feb. 23, 2020. In the 911 call played for the jury inside the Glynn County courtroom, Greg McMichael is heard explaining his emergency was “there’s a Black male running down the street.” He was also overheard yelling to Arbery: “Stop. Goddammit, stop” and “Travis.”
Nov 24, 9:01 am
Jury resumes deliberations
The jury resumed its deliberations on Wednesday morning, after working a little over six hours on Tuesday.
The panel was called into the Glynn County courtroom around 8:30 a.m. and Judge Walmsley thanked them for their service and sent them off to continue their discussions.
(NEW YORK) — Nearly 200,000 customers in Southern California may be without electricity during the Thanksgiving holiday as two utility companies consider cutting power due to fire danger.
In the counties of Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura, more than 151,000 customers could be affected by power cuts by Southern California Edison, while more than 43,000 customers in the San Diego mountains and inland Orange County could be affected by shutoffs by San Diego Gas & Electric.
Red flag warnings for critical fire danger are in effect from Los Angeles to San Diego, with forecasts of Santa Ana winds up to 70 mph and relative humidity in the single digits.
The warnings are in effect from Wednesday through much of Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
Utility companies in the wildfire-prone West often utilize public safety power shutoffs (PSPS) to reduce the risk of a fire sparking from an energized power line. San Diego Gas & Electric warned customers to make alternative holiday arrangements in the event of a PSPS.
“We recognize that PSPS events create hardships for our customers and communities, especially with so many people working and learning from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” the Southern California Edison website states. “We have heard a clear message from our customers, regulators, government officials and public safety partners that the company must do more to reduce the need for PSPS.”
California continues to remain a tinderbox for wildfire due to a decades-long megadrought and dry conditions exacerbated by climate change.
ABC News’ Melissa Griffin and David Herndon contributed to this report.
