Vice President Kamala Harris said the verdicts in murder trial of Ahmaud Arbery “send an important message” but warned there is still “work to do.”
“Today, the jury rendered its verdicts and the three defendants were found guilty of murdering Ahmaud Arbery,” Harris said in a statement Wednesday. “Still, we feel the weight of grief. Ahmaud Arbery should be alive, and nothing can take away the pain that his mother Wanda Cooper-Jones, his father Marcus Arbery, and the entire Arbery family and community feel today. I share in that pain.”
The vice president’s comments come after jurors in Georgia found Travis McMichael and his father Greg McMichael guilty on in the killing of Arbery Wednesday.
Travis McMichael was found guilty of malice murder, four counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, false imprisonment and criminal attempt to commit a felony.
Greg McMichael was also found guilty on four counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, false imprisonment and criminal attempt to commit a felony. Jurors found him not guilty on charges of malice murder.
The McMichael’s neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, was found guilty of felony murder and aggravated assault.
“These verdicts send an important message, but the fact remains that we still have work to do,” Harris said. “The defense counsel chose to set a tone that cast the attendance of ministers at the trial as intimidation and dehumanized a young Black man with racist tropes. The jury arrived at its verdicts despite these tactics.”
Harris was not the only prominent Democrat to speak out about Wednesday’s verdict, with Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison and DNC Black Caucus Chair Virgie Rollins also releasing a statement celebrating the verdict.
Source: Fox News
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