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The United States Department of Justice is considering federal hate crime charges for the death of unarmed black jogger Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia in February.
Gregory McMichael and his son Travis, who are white, face murder and assault charges for the shooting.
The case sparked national outrage when a video of the death appeared last week.
Arbery supporters have been using the hashtag #IRunWithMaud, sharing photos, and running 3.23 miles (3.6 km) for the day of his death, February 23.
Some held protests in front of the courts in Georgia and neighboring Florida.
President Donald Trump called the shooting a “very disturbing situation.”
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fake pictures
Arbery’s mother and sister joined protests over her death in her hometown of Brunswick.
Questions have been raised as to why the police have not charged the McMichaels for more than two months. The couple was detained Thursday by the state investigative office (GBI), two days after the video was released.
Gregory, 64, and Travis, 34, are in the custody of the Glynn County Sheriff’s Department, officials said Friday.
What did the justice department say?
The department said it would take “any appropriate action warranted by facts and by law.”, in a statement tweeted by spokeswoman Kerri Kupec.
“The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, the FBI and the US Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia have been supporting and will continue to fully support and participate in the state investigation,” the statement added.
“We are evaluating all the evidence to determine if the federal hate crime charges are appropriate.”
What is the status of the investigation?
Justice officials in Georgia have promised to investigate why it took so long to arrest the McMichaels.
GBI Director Vic Reynolds told reporters on Friday that “every stone will be delivered, I promise.”
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Georgia Bureau of Investigation
Travis McMichael (left) and Gregory McMichael were arrested Thursday
He said the person who filmed the video, another local man, was also under investigation.
Last Tuesday, Atlantic Circuit District Attorney Tom Durden ruled that a grand jury should consider the case and accepted Governor Brian Kemp’s offer to investigate the GBI. Two days later, the GBI said it had arrested the McMichaels.
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Durden is the third prosecutor involved, as two local district attorneys recused themselves due to professional connections with Gregory McMichael.
Elder Mr. McMichael was a police officer in Glynn County for seven years before working as an investigator in the district attorney’s office for 24 years. He retired a year ago.
The shooting has sparked a wave of outrage from national figures, including presidential candidate Joe Biden and basketball star LeBron James.
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Biden said Arbery had been “shot dead in cold blood” and “essentially lynched before our very eyes.”
Mr. James tweeted: “We are literally hunted EVERY DAY / EVERY MOMENT, we leave the comfort of our homes!”
How did Arbery die?
Arbery went jogging through the city of Brunswick in the early afternoon of February 23, something his father said he did often.
Gregory McMichael told police that he believed Arbery looked like the suspect in a series of local robberies.
Mr. McMichael and his son armed themselves with a pistol and shotgun and chased Mr. Arbery in a van in the Satilla Shores neighborhood.
Mr. McMichael told police that he asked Arbery to stop and speak, and claims that the 25-year-old attacked his son.
The 36-second clip appears to show young McMichael firing a shotgun at point-blank range at Mr. Arbery and the victim falling to the street.
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