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Jury selection has begun in the trial of the 3 men accused of murdering Ahmaud Arbery

Attorney Ben Crump, left, and Marcus Arbery Sr., the father of Ahmaud Arbery, second from left, arrive at the Glynn County Courthouse in Brunswick, Ga., as jury selection begins for the trial of the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery on Monday.
Sean Rayford
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Attorney Ben Crump, left, and Marcus Arbery Sr., the father of Ahmaud Arbery, second from left, arrive at the Glynn County Courthouse in Brunswick, Ga., as jury selection begins for the trial of the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery on Monday.

Updated October 18, 2021 at 7:34 PM ET

The murder trial has started for Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael and William "Roddie" Bryan, the three men accused of killing Ahmaud Arbery as he was out for a jog.

It comes more than a year and a half after Arbery, who was Black, was gunned down on a residential street in southeastern Georgia. The three men charged in his murder are white.

Video of the killing sparked national outrage and helped spur a wave of protests for racial justice in the summer of 2020.

On Monday, hundreds of potential jurors descended on Brunswick, Ga., for the beginning of jury selection.

Attorneys argued about which questions they could ask the hundreds of potential jurors during the selection process, which the judge estimated could take two weeks. Prosecutors and defense lawyers will seek to learn how much potential jurors say they know about the case and whether they could be impartial in rendering a verdict.

The judge also decided that each defendant would have 8 strikes (24 total) during jury selection while the state would have 12 in all.

Travis McMichael and his father, Gregory McMichael, and Brian, their friend, have all pleaded not guilty.

The jury selection process resumes Tuesday morning.

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Joe Hernandez