5:44 p.m. ET, November 24, 2021
Vice President Harris says Ahmaud Arbery's "life had meaning"
The guilty verdicts for all three men charged in killing Ahmaud Arbery last year send "an important message," Vice President Kamala Harris said in a statement this afternoon.
"Today, the jury rendered its verdicts and the three defendants were found guilty of murdering Ahmaud Arbery," the statement said. "Still, we feel the weight of grief. Ahmaud Arbery should be alive, and nothing can take away the pain that his mother Wanda Cooper-Jones, his father Marcus Arbery, and the entire Arbery family and community feel today. I share in that pain."
Harris added: "These verdicts send an important message, but the fact remains that we still have work to do. The defense counsel chose to set a tone that cast the attendance of ministers at the trial as intimidation and dehumanized a young Black man with racist tropes. The jury arrived at its verdicts despite these tactics. Ahmaud Arbery was a son. He was a brother. He was a friend. His life had meaning. We will not forget him. We honor him best by continuing the fight for justice."
Earlier today: Travis McMichael, who shot and killed Arbery, was convicted on all nine counts against him. Five of the counts — malice murder and four counts of felony murder — carry a possible life sentence.
His father, Gregory McMichael, was found guilty of all but the first count — malice murder. He faces possible life in prison for the four counts of felony murder that he was convicted of.
The third defendant, William "Roddie" Bryan Jr., was convicted on six of the nine charges. He was found not guilty of malice murder, not guilty on one of the felony murder counts and not guilty of aggravated assault with a firearm. But Bryan could still be sentenced to life in prison since he was convicted on three of the felony murders counts.