LeBron James has spoken out against the death of Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed black man who was fatally shot on Feb. 23 while jogging on a residential street in Brunswick, Georgia.
A graphic video that recently surfaced on social media allegedly captures the 25-year-old’s final moments, showing two white men chasing him down in a pickup truck and fatally shooting him.
The release of the video that shows Arbery’s death has sparked outcry from community activists, celebrities and athletes, including James, who weighed in on the matter and called for justice over the shooting.
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In a tweet Wednesday, James said African Americans are “literally hunted” when they go outside.
“We’re literally hunted EVERYDAY/EVERYTIME we step foot outside the comfort of our homes! Can’t even go for a damn jog man! Like WTF man are you kidding me?!?!?!?!?!? No man fr ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!! I’m sorry Ahmaud (Rest In Paradise) and my prayers and blessings sent to the… heavens above to your family,” James tweeted.
Underneath the tweet, he shared a photo of Arbery with a caption that read: “I was murdered by an armed father and son who hunted me down and shot me as I jogged in a Georgia neighborhood. Neither of my killers have been charged. My name is Ahmaud Arbery.”
We’re literally hunted EVERYDAY/EVERYTIME we step foot outside the comfort of our homes! Can’t even go for a damn jog man! Like WTF man are you kidding me?!?!?!?!?!? No man fr ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!! I’m sorry Ahmaud(Rest In Paradise) and my prayers and blessings sent to the….. pic.twitter.com/r1PNxs8Vgn
— LeBron James (@KingJames) May 6, 2020
According to an incident report obtained by the Associated Press, Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son Travis McMichael, 34, have admitted to grabbing guns and pursuing Arbery as he jogged in their neighborhood. The men told police they were frustrated by earlier burglaries and auto break-ins in the neighborhood.
“These men were vigilantes, they were a posse and they performed a modern lynching in the middle of the day,” said Lee Merritt, an attorney for Arbery’s mother.
More than two months after the shooting, no charges had been filed. After a national outcry, authorities arrested the father and son on Thursday, May 7. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a news release that Gregory McMichael and Travis McMichael had both been jailed on charges of murder and aggravated assault.