Trio found guilty for murder of black man

Three white men were convicted of murder for chasing and shooting a black man jogging near their homes – a crime that fuelled last year’s explosion of racial justice protests in the US.

A jury of a black man, nine white women and two white men in Georgia passed guilty verdicts after asking to rewatch video of Ahmaud Arbery, 25, running along a quiet road, seeking to avoid the men in their cars and being killed at close range with a shotgun.

Travis McMichael, 35, who shot Mr Arbery in the chest; Gregory McMichael, 65, his father, who joined the pursuit; and William Bryan, 52, who followed Arbery and filmed the killing, all face life sentences.

The jury rejected Travis McMichael’s testimony that he acted in self-defence because he feared attack from Mr Arbery, who was unarmed, when he tried to grab the shotgun. The three were arrested two months later when the video shot by Bryan emerged and protests began to grow.

“Let the word go out all over the world that a jury of 11 whites and one black in the Deep South stood up and said that black lives matter,” civil rights activist Al Sharpton said outside court in Brunswick.

Wanda Cooper-Jones, Mr Arbery’s mother, said: “It’s been a long fight, it’s been a hard fight but God is good. Thank you for those who marched, thank you for those who prayed.”

The McMichaels claimed it was their right to confront Mr Arbery on a hunch he was fleeing a crime after a spate of break-ins. Bryan claimed his actions in joining the pursuit did not contribute to the death. The jury heard the 911 call made by Gregory McMichael. He said: “There’s a black male running down the street.” When the dispatcher asked where, McMichael said: “I don’t know … Stop. Dammit. Stop. Travis!” Gunfire could be heard.

US President Joe Biden said: “Ahmaud Arbery’s killing … is a devastating reminder of how far we have to go in the fight for racial justice … We must recommit ourselves to building a future of unity and shared strength, where no one fears violence because of the colour of their skin.”