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Georgia moving to repeal citizen's arrest after Arbery death

Georgia moving to repeal citizen's arrest after Arbery death
Posted at 8:44 PM, Mar 04, 2021
and last updated 2021-03-04 20:44:53-05

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia has moved closer to possible repeal of an 1863 law that lets private citizens make an arrest, more than a year after the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery.

Arbery was a Black man chased down by white men who said they suspected he had committed a crime.

Prosecutors said Arbery was merely out jogging when he was shot.

The House bill won unanimous backing from the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday and could soon advance to a House floor vote.

It would remove from Georgia law the broad powers granted to ordinary citizens to make arrests. Three men have been charged with murder in Arbery's death.