LeBron James, Taylor Swift and More Celebrities Rally for Justice in Ahmaud Arbery Killing

By J. Kim Murphy

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Celebrities have taken to social media to express outrage and demand justice for the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, a black man who was fatally shot by two white men with ties to law enforcement while jogging in February.

Arbery was chased and shot on Feb. 23 in Brunswick, Ga. Police have identified the men who gunned down Arbery as Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son, Travis McMichael, 34. The two were arrested on Thursday by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, 10 weeks after the shooting.

LeBron James was among those who spoke out against the murder on Twitter, writing “We’re literally hunted EVERYDAY/EVERYTIME we step foot outside the comfort of our homes! Can’t even go for a damn jog man!”

Taylor Swift expressed her outrage over the killing, calling it “senseless, cold blooded, [and] racially motivated.”

Director Ava DuVernay provided a call to action, imploring others to join in demanding Waycross county district attorney George Barnhill resign for making no charges or arrests. “Let’s voice outrage beyond posting his picture on social media,” she wrote.

Olivia Wilde shared details for a distance run taking place on Friday to honor Arbery on what would’ve been his 26th birthday. The dedication run was created by Jason Vaughn, Arbery’s high school football coach, with 2.23 miles representing the date of Arbery’s death.

Other celebrities, such as Pusha T and Pedro Pascal, have shared a petition that demands justice for Arbery’s murder. As of this writing, the petition has garnered 1,316,800 signatures of a goal of 1,500,000.

See more reactions below.