Three white men have been charged with federal hate crimes and attempted kidnapping in connection with the death of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man who was shot and killed last year, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.
The big picture: Arbery's death is one of many that drove nationwide Black Lives Matter protests last summer, alongside demonstrations over the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
Details: Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael and William “Roddie” Bryan, were each charged with one count of interference with rights and one count of attempted kidnapping.
- "Travis and Gregory McMichael were also charged with one count each of using, carrying, and brandishing—and in Travis’s case, discharging—a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence," the Justice Department said.
- "All three defendants have also been charged in a separate state proceeding with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and criminal attempt to commit a felony."
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
