ATLANTA — Thursday marks three years since Ahmaud Arbery was chased, shot and killed as he was jogging through a coastal Georgia neighborhood. In his memory, a group of runners will hold a special event on the Atlanta Beltline tonight.
Channel 2′s Lori Wilson spoke with the South Fulton Running Partners, who is joining with other groups who want to take part in the 2.23 mile walk and run. It’s a program that celebrates a life cut short.
“We want to make sure that this never happens again to anyone,” Michael Stinson said.
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On February 23, 2020, Arbery was murdered when Gregory and Travis McMichael pulled their truck up to a jogging Arbery and confronted him about recent trespassing and burglary incidents. A third man, William “Roddie” Bryan trailed the men in his vehicle and recorded the shooting of Arbery.
On November 24, 2021, a jury found the McMichaels and Bryan guilty of murder and other charges. On Feb. 22, 2022, nearly two years to the day after Arbery’s murder, a federal jury found all three men guilty of federal hate crimes.
“I’m a mother of three and no mother should have to bury their son,” said runner Euleen Josiah-Tanner, who runs for her children.
Mother Deborah Hargrove is still brought to tears by the fear she had for her son one morning when he told her he was taking an early run.
“He wanted to run before sunrise... and it scared me to death,” Hargrove said.
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Three years after Arbery was shot and killed, his loss still casts a long shadow.
“We should be able to run wherever we want to run, because that is our God-given right,” Josiah-Turner said.
“Knowing that Ahmaud was just out there running. We want to support him and we want to support other people who are vulnerable to an attack like that,” Stinson said.
As they run to mark an important moment in history, the runners say they think about the future and understand there are still miles to go before everyone can feel free.
“Just hoping it will be that way. That we can run freely and not be afraid,” Hargrove said.
The run will begin at 6 p.m. on the Atlanta Beltline’s West End Trail. The run is free and open to everyone.
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