Georgia

A judge sentenced a Georgia man to 20 years in prison for shooting into two Clayton County convenience stores and attempting to kill the people inside because of their race.

According to evidence, the defendant first fired his pistol into a Shell gas station convenience store. Minutes later, he fired into a nearby BP gas station convenience store. No one was injured in either shooting.

The defendant admitted that he was targeting Black people and others he thought were Arab, and he hoped to kill them. He also admitted to believing in a white supremacist ideology.

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/georgia-white-supremacist-sentenced-federal-hate-crime-racially-motivated-shootings

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/georgia-man-ties-white-supremacist-organization-pleads-guilty-federal-hate-crime-racially

A jury found three Georgia men guilty of hate crimes and attempted kidnapping in the pursuit and killing of Ahmaud Arbery, a young Black man who was jogging on a public road.

Seeing Mr. Arbery jogging, two of the defendants armed themselves, got into a truck, and chased him through the neighborhood. They yelled at him, used their truck to cut off his route, and threatened him with guns. The third defendant joined the chase, and all three men tried to prevent Mr. Arbery from leaving after surrounding him. In the ensuing struggle, one of the men shot and killed Mr. Arbery as he attempted to escape.

An important part of the trial was proving that the defendants acted because of Mr. Arbery's race. Evidence showed that each defendant held racist beliefs that led them to assume, without reason, that Mr. Arbery was a criminal.

All three defendants face sentences of up to life in prison.

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/three-georgia-men-charged-federal-hate-crimes-and-attempted-kidnapping-connection-death

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/federal-jury-finds-three-men-guilty-hate-crimes-connection-pursuit-and-killing-ahmaud-arbery