An attorney for Georgia man who was planning his dream home says he likely won’t move in now, given the tragic shooting death of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, on February 23, shortly before Arbery was shot and killed in a residential neighborhood in Brunswick, Georgia, a man matching his description was spotted on security footage, inside an open construction home in the Satilla Shores neighborhood.
Arbery was allegedly in the home for less than three minutes and appeared to come out empty-handed before running off.
Within minutes, retired district attorney investigator Gregory McMichael and his son, Travis, began following Arbery in their truck. Around the same time, someone called 911 and reported a man inside the construction home.
911 dispatcher: “And you said someone is breaking into it right now?
Caller: “No. It’s all open, it’s under construction. And he’s running right now! There he goes right now.”
911 dispatcher: “OK. What is he doing?”
Caller: “He’s running down the street.”
A little before 1:40 p.m., McMichael and his son stopped their truck in the middle of the street and waited for Arbery. As Arbery approached and ran around the truck, a scuffle broke out. Travis McMichael, who had gotten out of the truck with a shotgun, began fighting with Arbery.
Arbery died at the scene after he was shot twice in the chest.
Attorney Elizabeth Graddy, speaking on behalf of homeowner Larry English, says the home is now unsafe. English is getting death threats, according to Graddy, although he took no part in chasing or harming Arbery.
“Now, it’s honestly not safe,” attorney Elizabeth Graddy said, according to NBC News. “It’s supposed to be a place for comfort and peace. And now, it will be forever associated with this tragedy.”
Graddy added that English was around 90 miles away working in another town when Arbery’s death occurred. He later heard about it after contacting a neighbor when he saw a video security alert on his phone.
English never called the incident a “burglary,” according to his lawyer, and never accused of Ahmaud of stealing anything. English didn’t want people on the property because it was unsafe.
“Ahmaud did not take anything from the construction site. He did not cause any damage to the property. He remained for a brief period of time and was not instructed by anyone to leave but rather left on his own accord to continue his jog. Ahmaud’s actions at this empty home under construction were in no way a felony under Georgia law.”
English did not know the McMichaels family and never shared any security footage with him. Graddy said even if the homeowner had known the suspects, he would not have wanted them to act on his behalf.
“Even if there had been a robbery, however, the English family would not have wanted a vigilante response,” Graddy said. “They would have entrusted the matter to law enforcement authorities.”
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[Feature Photo: Ahmaud Arbery/Handout; Greg and Travis McMichael/Facebook]
