The Brunswick district attorney who served at the time of the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery was indicted Thursday on two charges of hindering a police investigation into the shooting and a third charge of the violation of the oath of a public officer.
The indictment states former District Attorney Jackie Johnson hindered the investigation by ordering the officers not to place the key suspect under arrest the day of the shooting.
GEORGIA JUDGE SETS TRIAL DATE FOR AHMAUD ARBERY MURDER CASE
“Our office is committed to ensuring those who are entrusted to serve are carrying out their duties ethically and honestly,” Attorney General Chris Carr said in a press release. “We thank the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Glynn County Grand Jury for their hard work. While an indictment was returned today, our file is not closed, and we will continue to investigate in order to pursue justice.”
Arbery, an unarmed black man, was allegedly chased through the streets of a South Georgia neighborhood on Feb. 23, 2020, by two armed white men — a father and a son. The son, Travis McMichael, allegedly fired the fatal shot.
Both have been charged with murder, and their trials begin next month.
If convicted, they face life in prison without the chance of parole. A third man, who filmed the murder, was arrested in June 2020 and charged with felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment.
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Johnson’s charge in violating her oath as a public officer comes after she allegedly showed “favor and affection” for Gregory McMichael, the father, who worked in the Brunswick district attorney’s office as an investigator. Johnson has denied any wrongdoing in both charges.
The violation charge is a felony that carries a sentence of one to five years in prison, while the hindering charges are misdemeanors that will add approximately 12 more months each.
