Probe sought of local prosecutors

ATLANTA — Local law enforcers are now being investigated in the shooting of a black man who was chased down by two white men in Georgia.

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and federal authorities to probe how local prosecutors handled the killing of 25yearold Ahmaud Arbery. It took more than two months and the release of a video of the shooting before Gregory and Travis McMichael were charged with murder and jailed.

“Unfortunately, many questions and concerns have arisen regarding, among other things, the communications between and actions taken by the district attorneys of the Brunswick and Waycross Circuits. As a result, we have requested the GBI to review in order to determine whether the process was undermined in any way,” Carr said Tuesday.

Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said federal prosecutors have asked Carr to share any results, and are also considering whether hate crime charges are warranted.

Arbery was fatally shot Feb. 23 in a subdivision just outside the port city of Brunswick. Gregory McMichael told police he and his grown son armed themselves and pursued the young man because they thought he was a burglar running down the street. Cell phone video of the killing leaked online last week, fueling a national outcry.

Brunswick Circuit District Attorney Jackie Johnson defended her office’s involvement, which she insisted was minimal because Gregory McMichael worked for her as an investigator before retiring a year ago.