Three white men were found guilty of murder on Wednesday for shooting dead an African American man after chasing him in their pickup trucks, following a racially-charged trial in the U.S. State of Georgia that gripped the nation.
Travis McMichael, who shot Ahmaud Arbery, his father Gregory McMichael, and their neighbour, William “Roddie” Bryan, who took part in the chase, were all convicted of multiple counts of murder, aggravated assault and false imprisonment.
A predominantly-white jury in Brunswick, Georgia, deliberated for less than 12 hours over two days before delivering their verdicts.
Travis, 35, Gregory, 65, a retired police officer, and Bryan, 52, face potential life in prison for the February 2020 shooting of the 25-year-old Arbery.
A crowd erupted in cheers outside the courthouse as the verdict was announced, chanting: “Say his name. Ahmaud Arbery!” “Today is a good day,” Arbery’s father, Marcus, told the gathering. “I don’t want to see no daddy watch their kid get lynched and shot down like that.”
