Georgia prosecutors say the 2020 killing of Ahmaud Arbery was followed by 16 phone calls between the local district attorney and a former employee later convicted of murder in the shooting.

The former Brunswick prosecutor who has come under fire for her office's treatment of the Ahmaud Arbery case is reportedly the subject of a grand jury investigation.

Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael and William "Roddy" Bryan each made first court appearances last month from the Glynn County Jail. BRUNSWICK, Ga. – One year after Ahmaud Arbery’s death, his mother filed a federal lawsuit alleging there was a conspiracy to protect those responsible for killing her son. were part of a “deliberate effort to cover up Ahmaud’s murder.”Arbery’s shooting death was not reported beyond the local media for months. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation opened an investigation and within 36 hours arrested the McMichaels -- a father and son. “If not for the video of Ahmaud’s killing being released, the Glynn County Police Department, Rash, Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael, Bryan, Johnson, and Barnhill would have successfully conspired to deprive Ahmaud of his constitutional rights,” the suit said.

Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael and William "Roddy" Bryan each made first court appearances last month from the Glynn County Jail. BRUNSWICK, Ga. – One year after Ahmaud Arbery’s death, his mother filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday alleging there was a conspiracy to protect those responsible for killing her son. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation opened an inquiry and within 36 hours arrested the McMichaels -- a father and son. “If not for the video of Ahmaud’s killing being released, the Glynn County Police Department, Rash, Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael, Bryan, Johnson, and Barnhill would have successfully conspired to deprive Ahmaud of his constitutional rights,” the suit said. Jason Sheffield, the attorney for Travis McMichael, responded with a statement noting the one-year mark since Arbery’s death and respectful of Cooper desire to get justice for her son.

WAYCROSS, Ga. – The president of the Waycross chapter of the NAACP is demanding the release of body camera footage of an attempted traffic stop, during which investigators said a Waycross police officer fired multiple shots at a car with two teenage boys inside. Larry Lockey, president of the Waycross chapter of the NAACP, said he’s worried if the incident goes unnoticed, there won’t be any justice. The agency said the officer who opened fire had come to assist another Waycross officer who began following the car after witnessing the driver commit a traffic violation. Waycross police also said both teenagers inside the car were arrested on charges of illegal possession of a firearm by a minor. “It’s hard to read that in the situation if the officer felt his life was in danger and started engaging in shots,” Reeves said.

GLYNN COUNTY, Ga. Georgia state lawmakers are heading back to the Capitol on Monday after being away for three months because of COVID-19. In an open video published by the New York Times, Arberys mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, called for Georgia lawmakers to pass the hate crime law. Lawmakers will also introduce a bill that would repeal Georgias citizens arrest law, which has been in place since the Civil War. Arbery's murder spurred frustration and calls for action as it shined a spotlight on both the citizen's arrest law and the lack of a hate crime law in the state. The citizen's arrest law says a private citizen "... may arrest an offender if the offense is committed in his presence or within his immediate knowledge.

ATLANTA A lawyer for the family of Ahmaud Arbery said Monday that a federal prosecutor told the slain man's mother federal officials are investigating potential misconduct by local officials who handled the case. Lawyer Lee Merritt said U.S. Attorney Bobby Christine, whose jurisdiction includes southern Georgia, met with him and Arbery's mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, on Thursday. They were taken into custody less than two days after the case was handed over to GBI. The elder McMichael worked as an investigator for Johnson, the Brunswick Circuit District Attorney, before retiring a year ago. Because of that, Johnson stepped away from the case, asking Carr to appoint Waycross Circuit District Attorney George Barnhill to replace her.

BRUNSWICK, Ga. – She’s accused of stopping police from making an arrest in the Ahmaud Arbery shooting when it first happened but Glynn County District Attorney Jackie Johnson said that’s a lie. Speaking publicly about the case for the first time last week, Johnson also told a Southeast Georgia radio station that she’s the victim of retaliation. Gregory McMichael once worked for Johnson as an investigator, and that’s why Johnson says she knew she couldn’t get involved. “I did not talk to Glynn County police that day. Back in March, she said, the Glynn County police chief and three former officers were all arrested in a separate case, accused in a narcotics unit cover-up.

The Atlanta branch of the NAACP is calling for an investigation into a history of inequality in Glynn County following the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery. The greatest injustice in this case was not only the brutal murder of Ahmaud Arbery, but the response by the legal apparatus of South Georgia. They responded as if his life didnt matter, said Arbery family attorney Lee Merritt. Ahmaud Arbery has been in the media today, they continue to release new images of Ahmaud Arbery to criminalize Arbery. Whether you realize it or not, yall have put a target on his back.On Tuesday, Arbery family attorneys called for Bryans arrest.

Feb. 27: State Attorney General Chris Carr appoints Barnhill to handle the case after local District Attorney Jackie Johnson recused herself. April 13: The attorney general appoints Tom Durden, another district attorney from the region, to take over the case. May 10: Georgia attorney general asks the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the handling of the case. May 11: Georgia attorney general asks Cobb County District Attorney Joyette Holmes to take over the case, making her the third outside prosecutor appointed to the case. May 12: Georgia attorney general asks the GBI to investigate possible prosecutorial misconduct by Waycross DA George Barnhill and Brunswick DA Jackie Johnson.

GLYNN COUNTY, Ga. – From Atlanta to Brunswick, organizers of the Just Georgia Coalition say they were in Glynn County on Saturday to “fight the good fight.”Hundreds rallied outside the Glynn County Courthouse for about two hours, protesting the handling of the Ahmaud Arbery case. Johnson recused herself and her office because Gregory McMichael is a retired investigator who had worked in her office. McMichael and his son, Travis, were arrested and charged with murder and aggravated assault in the shooting death of Arbery. Barnhill had the case for about a month before he stepped aside under pressure because his son works for Johnson as an assistant prosecutor. Also spearheading Saturday’s rally -- the Georgia NAACP, New Georgia Project, ACLU Georgia and dozens of other organizations.

A growing number of elected officials, including 68 members of Congress, are calling for independent investigations into Glynn County police and the Brunswick and Waycross district attorneys. Brunswick District Attorney Jackie Johnson last told News4Jax she welcomed the full transparency an investigation will bring. Georgias attorney general has already requested a federal investigation into the actions of the first two prosecutors who touched the case. You should not give your opinion ... publicly or privately.The conflict Barnhill cited was his son, who, according to him, worked alongside Greg McMichael in the Brunswick District Attorneys Office. Barnhill said that once the case is closed all the information will be available for public review.

Travis McMichael, 34, and his father, Gregory McMichael, 64, were arrested and charged with murder and aggravated assault Thursday night. (Glynn County Detention Center)911 callsIn 911 calls released by the Glynn County Police Department, a man whose name was redacted told dispatchers there was a black man running down the street. The report states Travis McMichael pulled up beside Arbery and got out of the car with his shotgun. “Once I learned that there was some relationships between the DA in Glynn County and Ware County. He also went on to go point-by-point with why he felt Greg and Travis McMichael did not commit a crime in fatally shooting Arbery.

His son, Travis McMichael, is the alleged shooter. We do not see grounds for an arrest of any of the three parties.”In the letter to Glynn County Police Capt. Tom Jump, Barnhill went on to go point-by-point why he felt Greg and Travis McMichael did not commit a crime in fatally shooting Arbery. “It appears Travis McMichael, Greg McMichael and William Bryan were following in “hot pursuit of a burglary suspect with solid first-hand probable cause,” Barnhill wrote. ... At that point, Arbery grabbed the shotgun (that Travis McMichael was holding).