A day where his family and close friends were going to celebrate his life, today would have been Ahmaud Arbery’s 26th birthday. However, they’re mourning the loss of their loved one after he was taken from them by two men.
Arbery was shot and killed while going for a run in his Brunswick, as previously reported, Georgia neighborhood on February 23. He was chased down by a former police officer and his son who were armed. Arbery was shot after struggling with the son over his shotgun, according to a Glynn County Police report. The former officer later told officers that he assumed Arbery was a suspect in a series of nearby break-ins, the report said. Following footage of the incident recently appearing online, Gregory McMichael, 64, and Travis McMichael, 34, were finally arrested and booked into the Glynn County Jail Thursday.
As painful as this story is for many people, they are not letting this day go by without honoring Arbery on his birthday. According to ABC7, family, friends, and supporters of Arbery plan to run 2.23 miles while others around the world are set to gather virtually today to honor Arbery by putting on their sneakers and posting on social media to say #IRunWithMaud. The run is symbolic of the date Arbery died, the news site notes.
“With Covid-19 of course, we can’t have a demonstration where we all come together,” Vaughn said, adding that this demonstration is the best way to unite in his honor. “Any runner can identify with Maud, a guy who may have had a bad day, but he can go out there and hit the pavement and go jog.”
