ATLANTA (AP) — Local law enforcers are now being investigated in the shooting of a black man who was chased down by two white men in Georgia.
In a press release , state attorney general Chris Carr requested the help from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to look into how local prosecutors handled the killing of Ahmaud Arbery.
"When a district attorney is unable to take on a case due to a conflict, our office must appoint another prosecutor to handle the case," said Attorney General Chris Carr in a statement. "Unfortunately, many questions and concerns have arisen regarding, among other things, the communications between and actions taken by the District Attorneys of the Brunswick and Waycross Circuits. As a result, we have requested the GBI to review to determine whether the process was undermined in any way."
It took more than two months, and the release of a video of the shooting before Gregory and Travis McMichael was charged with murder and jailed.
In a letter to the GBI , Carr said that unbeknownst to him, Waycross Judicial Circuit District Attorney George Barnhill "provided an opinion to the Glynn County Police Department on February 24, 2020, that he did not see grounds for the arrest of any of the individuals involved in Mr. Arbery’s death."
Carr asked the GBI to examine how the district attorneys in Brunswick and Waycross handled the case before recusing themselves.
Brunswick Circuit District Attorney Jackie Johnson said Tuesday she's confident investigators will find no wrongdoing by her office.