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Property owner doesn't believe Ahmaud Arbery stole anything from his construction site

Posted at 11:55 AM, May 13, 2020
and last updated 2020-05-13 11:59:13-04

  • Video of Ahmaud Arbery's shooting death has sparked nationwide outrage.
  • A second video shows Arbery entering a private construction site on the day of his murder.
  • The man who owns that property, Larry English, told CNN he doesn't believe Arbery stole from his property.
  • Click here for a timeline of events surrounding Arbery's death.

In an interview with CNN on Tuesday night, the man who owns a property at which Ahmaud Arbery was seen on the day of his death said he does not believe Arbery stole anything from the site.

Arbery was shot and killed in Brunswick, Georgia on Feb. 23. The father of the man who shot Arbery, Gregory McMichaels, told police that he was pursuing Arbery because he matched the description of a suspect involved in a string of robberies in the area.

In the hours before Arbery's death, surveillance video purportedly shows him entering a construction site briefly before leaving. Larry English, the man who owns that property, told CNN on Tuesday that he's concerned footage of Arbery on his property could be "misused."

"As far as the video goes, I don't want it to be put out and misused and misinterpreted for people to think I had accused Mr. Arbery of stealing or robbery, because I never did," English said.

English said his camera notified him that someone was on the property, but he did not call the police. He also said that he did not believe Arbery stole anything from the property.

In a police report taken the day of the shooting, Gregory McMichael told police that there had been "several break-ins in the neighborhood" and that the "suspect was caught on surveillance video."

According to local media reports, there was only one area break-in reported in the month prior to Arbery's death, which was reported by the Gregory McMichaels and his son, Travis. In January, the family said that a gun had been stolen out of their unlocked truck.

English said he did not share the surveillance video that includes Arbery with the McMichaels and did not tell them about the video — in fact, English told CNN that he does not know the McMichaels personally.

No arrests were made in Arbery's shooting until days after video purporting to show the incident was released. In the months between Arbery's shooting and the release of the video, the case bounced between jurisdictions due to conflicts of interest — Gregory McMichaels is a former police officer and investigator in the Brunswick District Attorney's office.

On May 7, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested and charged the McMichaels with murder and aggravated assault in connection with Arbery's death.