Georgia deputy suspended over Facebook comment about Arbery
A Georgia sheriff’s deputy has been suspended and faces being fired over comments posted on social media after a judge sentenced three white men to life imprisonment in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Georgia sheriff's deputy was suspended and faces being fired over comments posted on social media after a judge sentenced three white men to life imprisonment in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, news outlets reported.
Reacting to a story on WGXA-TV's Facebook page after the men were sentenced on their murder convictions in the shooting of Arbery, a Black man who was jogging through a neighborhood, someone wrote: “That criminal arbery still got the death penalty though.”
The comment was later deleted, but screenshots were shared with news outlets and the Houston County Sheriff's Office, which investigated and subsequently suspended longtime deputy Paul Urhahn.
A letter from Sheriff Cullen Talton, posted on his department's Facebook page, said the action was taken because of conduct that discredited the department and was unbecoming of an officer, WGXA reported.
Urhahn will be fired effective Jan. 20 unless he appeals, the sheriff’s letter said.
Chief Deputy Billy Rape said Urhahn had been disciplined in the past for other violations, but his firing was based solely on “the destruction of public respect for himself and our department through all of the social media outrage.”
Urhahn could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday. It appeared his Facebook page had been deleted, and no telephone number was listed in his name.
Greg and Travis McMichael grabbed guns and jumped in a pickup truck to chase Arbery after spotting him running in their neighborhood near Brunswick on Feb. 23, 2020. Their neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, joined the pursuit in his own truck and recorded cellphone video of Travis McMichael firing close-range shotgun blasts into Arbery, 25.
The three were sentenced to life in prison Friday, with a judge denying any chance of parole for the McMichaels, who are father and son.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.