Washington, May 8 (IANS): A father and son in the US state of Georgia were charged with the murder of African-American man Ahmaud Arbery, which took place two months ago, triggering nationwide outrage over racial inequity.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) said in a statement on Thursday that Gregory McMichael, 64, and Travis McMichael, 34, were arrested for the death of Arbery, 25, reports Xinhua news agency.
It added that the McMichaels approached Arbery on February 23 with two firearms, before the younger Travis shot and killed him.
A video circulated on social media this week showed two men approach the young black man jogging on the street.
Gunshots can be heard after a brief interaction, and the black man fell to the ground afterwards.
The GBI said in the statement that the footage is "related to Arbery's death", and that it was investigating the video under the request from the Glynn County Police Department.
According to a police report cited by U.S. media, Gregory McMichael, a retired police detective, saw Arbery jogging and thought he was a suspect in break-ins in the neighborhood.
He then called his son and they armed themselves with a handgun and a shotgun, respectively, and chased Arbery in a truck.
McMichael told the Washington Post on Thursday that "there are many, many facts out there that have not come to light".
"This is all based on the video and newspaper story. All the stuff that led up to that still hasn't been released," he said without further elaborating.
The video, however, triggered nationwide outrage over racial inequity, with former Vice President Joe Biden comparing the case to a lynching, while Georgia Governor Brian Kemp called the incident "absolutely horrific".
Commenting on the matter from the Oval Office on Thursday, President Donald Trump said he expects a "full report" on the incident, calling Arbery's death "a very sad thing".
The grand juries in Georgia are temporarily suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak, and a statewide moratorium on judicial proceedings has been extended until June 12.
That means that Arbery's case won't be heard until after at least one month.