May 10, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Georgia repeals citizen's arrest law after Ahmaud Arbery shooting

Rebecca Falconer

Wanda Cooper-Jones, mother of Ahmaud Arbery, stands in front of a painting of her son after a candlelight vigil for Arbery at New Springfield Baptist Church on February 23 — Wanda Cooper-Jones, mother of Ahmaud Arbery, during a candlelight vigil for her son at New Springfield Baptist Church in Waynesboro, Georgia, on the first anniversary of his death in February. Photo: Sean Rayford/Getty Images

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) on Monday signed into a bill repealing a citizen's arrest law from 1863.

Why it matters: The legislation was passed in response to the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, who Kemp said had been "a victim of vigilante-style violence that has no place in our country or our state."

Kemp said before signing the bill, House Bill 479, that the legislation "makes Georgia the first state in the country to repeal its citizen's arrest statue."

"Today we are replacing this Civil War-era law, ripe for abuse, with language that balances the sacred right of self-defense of person and property with our shared responsibility to root out injustice and set our state on a better path forward."

— Kemp

What they're saying: Wanda Cooper-Jones, the mother of Arbery, said after the signing that the legislation "will make people think before they take action into their own hands," per AP.

The big picture: Arbery was out jogging when he was shot on Feb. 23, 2020.

Three white men who told police they suspected Arbery had committed a burglary are facing charges including murder and hate crimes over his death.

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Georgia repeals citizen's arrest law after Ahmaud Arbery shooting

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