Vic Reynolds, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, says it was a call from Governor Brian Kemp to him this week that initiated his office's involvement in the Ahmaud Arbery death case.
The GBI, according to Reynolds, can only become involved in a matter when asked by the local authorities. The 25 year old Arbery was shot and killed on Sunday, February 23, at 1:00 in the afternoon.
The police report indicates father and son Gregory and Travis McMichael assumed that Arbery was a burglar so they went after him in a pickup truck. Once they came upon him, Arbery wound up shot to death. It happened in Brunswick, Georgia.
Two prosecutors have apparently recused themselves from the case because of prior relationships with the McMichaels.
Reynolds says in a YouTube video that he contacted Glynn County special prosecutor Tom Durden Tuesday night and offered assistance in the case. "He quickly accepted our offer and asked us to become involved in the case", says Reynolds.
Three experienced supervisory-level agents have been assigned to the case, Reynolds says, from 2 separate regions and a specialized unit.
The case is to be run from Headquarters, which is in Atlanta.
Interest in the death of Arbery has heightened since the release of a video in which a young black man seen jogging tries to avoid two white men, yet ends up dead in the road.
While he recognizes that "emotions are running high" Reynolds says the investigation into Arbery's death "must be done correctly."
He asks for patience from the public.
The Georgia NAACP has scheduled a protest outside the Glynn County courthouse this Friday at 10 AM.
