Said Wanda Cooper-Jones: “If Georgia had a hate crime law, Ahmaud’s killers could face additional sentencing for murdering my son because of the color of his skin.”

S. Lee Merritt, an attorney for Arbery’s family, confirmed to CNN that the DOJ is exploring hate crime charges against the White men responsible for the shooting death of the 25-year-old Black man.

“We have a crisis of hate and extremism in our country—and the toxic ideas propagated by these hate groups not only lead to violence but erode the very foundations of our democracy,” said Lecia Brooks from The Southern Poverty Law Center.