His death one year ago didn’t make headlines. But when video surfaced months later of Ahmaud Arbery’s death, it sparked outrage around the country. Then, Arbery’s shooting death became a rally cry and hashtag: #RunWithMaud.
The 25-year-old had been running before he was shot and killed in a Brunswick neighborhood. On Tuesday, the Atlanta Track Club called on its members to join others in honoring Arbery by running 2.23 miles on the anniversary of his Feb. 23 death.
“Today, we ask you to join us in running 2.23 miles in memory of Ahmaud and in recognition of the systemic racism that led to his death,” the track club posted on social media.
It was May before arrests were made in the case. Father and son Greg and Travis McMichael and another neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, were all charged with murder and remain in custody. The arrests came after a video showing Arbery’s death went viral.
Arbery was shot three times by Travis McMichael, according to investigators. He and his father had chased down Arbery in their pickup truck, aided by a second driver, Bryan.
Greg McMichael told police he suspected Arbery, 25, of committing break-ins. A video Bryan shot shows Travis McMichael briefly tussling with Arbery in the Satilla Shores neighborhood before firing three shots at him. Family and friends say Arbery was an avid runner who was out for a jog. The McMichaels and Bryan are white. Arbery was Black.
The first “Run With Maud” events were held May 8 on what would have been Arbery’s 26th birthday.
In a recent interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, said she still struggles to understand why he was killed. But she finds strength in knowing her son didn’t die in vain.
“It still hurts that I lost Ahmaud,” she said. “Knowing that Ahmaud was possibly involved in change tells me he didn’t lose his life in vain.”
The family plans to hold a vigil at 5 p.m.
Cooper-Jones also filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against the three accused of killing her son.
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