LeBron James responds to the killing of Ahmaud Arbery

A black man, Ahmaud Arbery, was killed in the street by two white men. Disturbing video of the incident has prompted a response from LeBron James.

Ahmaud Arbery was shot and killed in Georgia on Feb. 23 but the slaying didn’t receive much national attention until this week when a video of the incident surfaced online. Arbery, who is black, was out for a jog when he was confronted by two white residents in a pick-up truck who lived nearby. Within seconds, Arbery was shot dead.

According to The Guardian, the two men, one of whom is a law enforcement officer, “thought Arbery matched the description of someone caught on a security camera committing a recent break-in in the neighborhood. They armed themselves with guns before getting in a truck to pursue him.”

The public release of the video, along with the fact that no arrests have been made or charges filed in the months since the killing have prompted an outcry and last night LeBron James weighed in on social media.

James has been an outspoken advocate on an array of issues, including racial violence. After the killing of Trayvon Martin he helped organize a symbolic photo of the Miami Heat in their team hoodies. He was also one of a number of players who wore t-shirts saying “I can’t breathe” during warm-ups, in recognition of Eric Garner who was killed by an officer of the New York Police Department during an arrest for selling cigarettes on the street.

At the time, LeBron told the New York Daily News, “As a society, we have to do better. We have to be better for one another, no matter what race you are. But it’s more of a shoutout to the family more than anything. They’re the ones that should be getting all the energy and effort.”