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A Georgia prosecutor on Tuesday recommended that a grand jury review the fatal shooting of a black man while he was out jogging.
The investigation into the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, 25, earlier this year has been criticized by many in the state. Now, a disturbing video that emerged online on Tuesday purports to show key parts of the incident and has increased calls for charges.
Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, took to Twitter to write that the video is “clear” and Arbery “was killed in cold blood.” He wrote that his heart goes out to Arbery’s family and called for a transparent investigation into the “murder.”
WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEO
A black man can be seen in the video running at a slow pace toward a white truck that is stopped in the middle of a country road. Two men are seen outside the vehicle, including one standing on the truck’s bed. The black man seems to attempt to run around the truck, and the moment he clears the vehicle, a shot rings out.
A brief struggle ensues in what looks like an effort to control a shotgun, and another two shots are heard, according to the video. The runner staggers away and collapses.
The man in the truck’s bed is seen holding a handgun after he climbs out to approach the others.
Tom Durden, the district attorney pro tempore for the Brunswick Judicial Circuit, called for a grand jury review of the case stemming from the Feb. 23 shooting in Brunswick, New4Jax.com of Jacksonville, Fla., reported.
Durden told The Associated Press that no arrests have been made. He declined to say what charges he would have a grand jury consider. He declined to comment Tuesday when the prosecutor was asked if he could verify that the video showed the shooting of Arbery.
The report said Travis McMichael, the son of a former district attorney investigator, fired the fatal shot. He was not immediately charged because he claimed that he was conducting a citizen’s arrest, the report said. There have been a string of burglaries in the area and Arbery supposedly fit the description of the suspect.
Lee Merritt, the attorney for Arbery’s family, told The Washington Post that family members watched the video of the shooting on Tuesday.
“Mr. Arbery had not committed any crime and there was no reason for these men to believe they had the right to stop him with weapons or to use deadly force in furtherance of their unlawful attempted stop,” he told the paper.
The Post, citing a police report, said Arbery was spotted jogging by Gregory McMichael, the former investigator. News4Jax reported that the father called 911 at 1:08 p.m. to report a “black man running down the street.”
He reportedly told a dispatcher that he suspected Arbery was involved in recent burglaries.
The 64-year-old called his son and they armed themselves, according to the report. The police report says Gregory McMichael told officers he and his son first tried to stop Arbery by shouting, “Stop, stop, we want to talk to you!”
The father claimed that Arbery attacked his son and they got into a struggle for a shotgun. Police said the son fired two shots.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp tweeted Tuesday that the head of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation offered to assist in the investigation.
“Georgians deserve answers,” he wrote. “State law enforcement stands ready to ensure justice is served.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
