A Jacksonville, Florida, based reporter discovered a card left at the memorial site for Ahmaud Arbery on Wednesday, which said in part, “I should have stopped them.”
Arbery was killed in February when two men drove up on a pickup truck and shot him, according to video of the incident. An autopsy released earlier this week indicated that the 25-year-old died from three gunshot wounds.
While covering the Ahmaud Arbery case on Tuesday, May 12, I noticed this card. I took a photo of it. I understand this is now a piece of evidence and a part of the investigation. Did the person witness the death? @GBI_GA @TMZ pic.twitter.com/WGKksyZCMd
— Jenese Harris (@WJXTJenese) May 13, 2020
In a statement to WJXT-TV in Jacksonville, Arbery’s family attorney wrote, “The family of Ahmaud Arbery is very interested in reaching out to the individual who left the heartfelt note at the site of Ahmaud Arbery’s death. They feel great sympathy for the person who wrote that note and would like to speak with them to determine what they knew or what they saw. If that person would like to confidentially come forward and communicate with the family, they can contact the legal team or reach out directly to Mr. Arbery’s family.”
Last Thursday, two men were charged in connection with Arbery’s death. Gregory McMichael, and his son, Travis McMichael, were charged with murder.
The McMichaels arrests came after a video went public of Arbery’s death. Arbery’s death, and lack of criminal prosecution, prompted a social media hashtag #JusticeForAhmaud. Arbery’s killing also prompted discussions nationally on the role racial bias plays in the criminal justice system.
“It is clear that law enforcement authorities must immediately arrest the McMichaels for this crime,” the NAACP said on Wednesday in a joint statement. “The failure to hold these two individuals accountable for the killing of Mr. Arbery would mean that white citizens may hunt down an unarmed, non-violent Black man in broad daylight and kill him with impunity. Nothing in Georgia law licenses this conduct. The McMichaels must stand trial for this killing.”
According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Arbery was in the Satilla Shores neighborhood in Brunswick, GA when both Gregory and Travis McMichael confronted Arbery with two firearms on February 23. During the encounter, Travis McMichael shot and killed Arbery, prosecutors said.