GBI director: More than enough probable cause to charge pair with murder in Ahmaud Arbery case

Friday, May 8, 2020

BRUNSWICK, GA (WRDW/WAGT) -- GBI Director Vic Reynolds said there was more than enough probable cause to arrest the two men charged Thursday night with the murder of Ahmaud Arbery.

"I will tell you that we base our decisions on two things: one are facts and the other is the law," Reynolds said. "Whatever the facts are, we apply the law to it. If the law says what the facts are is felony murder then we take the warrants for it. I'm very comfortable in telling you that there's there's more than sufficient probable cause in this case for fulfilling an order."

Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son, Trevor McMichael, 34, were arrested after the GBI and District Attorney Tom Durden began to look into the case.

Arbery was shot following an incident between him and the McMichaels back on Feb. 23.

The incident was caught on video and leaked to social media by a local attorney. The video quickly went viral, sparking protests nationwide.

Reynolds called the clip a "very important piece of evidence."

"Anytime you can see what happens at a scene, then it plays an important role in decision making," Reynolds said. "Is it the only piece of evidence, is it the only thing in this case? No, but is it important? Absolutely."

That video appears to have also sparked action in the case. The McMichaels were not charged until May 7 -- over 11 weeks after the shooting. Reynolds, however, would not comment on the speed of the case.

"I can only tell you what happened since Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. when we got involved," Reynolds said. "You know the video was already out, we saw it, we reviewed the rest of the file, and we made the arrest."

Questions have surrounded the incident and whether or not the video ultimately forced the involvement of the GBI. Reynolds said in a perfect world, his agency would have been involved since February.

"Sometimes it isn't a perfect world, so we have to deal with a situation as is placed in front of us," Reynolds said.

But as the timeline of the investigation and the arrest comes into focus, Reynolds expressed confidence in his investigators and sufficient probable cause for arrests.

"I can tell you that if we didn't believe it, we wouldn't have arrested them. If we believe it, then we're going to put the bracelets on them, and that's exactly what we did yesterday evening," Reynolds said.