Text shows cop told GA homeowner he could contact Arbery murder suspect for help with trespassers
Reaction and analysis from former Georgia U.S. attorney Michael J. Moore on ‘America’s News HQ.’
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation executed a search warrant Tuesday night on the homes of the father and son who gunned down Ahmaud Arbery, according to reports.
The GBI was drafted into the investigation after local police failed to arrest anyone two months after the shooting. Investigators spent more than two hours going through the Brunswick homes of Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son Travis, 34,according to WSB-TV.
The McMichaels, who have ties to local law enforcement, were arrested earlier this month for the February 23 shooting of Arbery in the quiet Satilla Shores neighborhood near Brunswick.
AHMAUD ARBERY CASE: 2017 VIDEO EMERGES OF GEORGIA COPS TRYING TO TASE VICTIM
Video of the shooting was leaked on social media earlier this month after the Glynn County Police Department largely sat on the investigation.
The GBI was called in to investigate only after the initial video had been leaked and it prompted national outrage that nothing had been done. It took the GBI fewer than 48 hours to make the arrests, and the duo were subsequently charged with felony murder and aggravated assault.
They have claimed they were making a citizen’s arrest. Prior to the shooting, Gregory McMichael reportedly saw Arbery and called 911, claiming that he may be the person involved in recent burglaries in the area.
Earlier this week, Lee Merritt, an attorney for Arbery’s family, confirmed that video shows the victim was chased for more than four minutes by the McMichaels and neighbor William Bryan, who filmed the incident.
The Glynn County police department, which has come in for criticism for its handling of the case, has been marred by scandals and claims of corruption for years.
One area resident told Fox News the allegations against the police department are well known.
"They don't have a great reputation and it's just the good ol' boys mentality," she said. "They look out for themselves and everyone around here knows it."
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It also emerged Gregory McMichael, who is a former detective on the force, had been stripped of his law enforcement certification and power to arrest in February 2019, after he repeatedly failed to complete the required training.
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