Supporters of Ahmaud Arbery to honor him by running 2.23 miles on what would have been his 26th birthday

This Friday, supporters of Ahmaud Arbery, the 25-year-old unarmed black man whose family said was fatally shot while jogging in Georgia earlier this year, will run 2.23 miles his honor on his birthday.

Jason Vaughn, who was Arbery’s football coach back in high school, told CNN that the number of miles is symbolic of the day Arbery was shot and killed, Feb. 23.

As part of the demonstration on Friday, which would have been Arbery’s 26th birthday, Vaughn told the news network that supporters will also mark their runs with the hashtag #IRunWithMaud on social media.

“With Covid-19 of course, we can’t have a demonstration where we all come together,” Vaughn told CNN. “Any runner can identify with Maud, a guy who may have had a bad day, but he can go out there and hit the pavement and go jog.”

The hashtag has already begun to pick up traction on social media among users who have shared flyers promoting the virtual run dedicated to Arbery. Prominent figures like filmmaker Ava Duvernay and the Rev. Al Sharpton have also taken to social media promoting the hashtag while discussing the case.

People, let’s do this. Friday, 5/8. The running community has the chance to honor Ahmaud Arbery and demand justice for his killing. See you out there. #IrunwithMaud #JusticeForAhmaudArbery #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/sKP8renq42

— Sally Bergesen (@oiselle_sally) May 7, 2020

Let’s voice outrage beyond posting his picture on social media. Among other things, District Attorney George Barnhill must RESIGN.

Text JUSTICE to 55156.

Dial 912-554-7200 to make your voice heard.

Follow: @ColorofChange@Georgia_NAACP⁩ #JusticeforAhmaud #IrunwithMaud pic.twitter.com/RdOkCVfr12

— Ava DuVernay (@ava) May 7, 2020

A 25 yr old unarmed black man named #AhmaudArbery was shot and killed by two white men in Georgia named Travis and Gregory McMichaels in February of this year. Both men should be arrested immediately! I am currently on #MorningJoe sharing our demands for justice. #IRunWithMaud pic.twitter.com/bELerXm3Sc

— Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl) May 7, 2020

Arbery was fatally shot in February after being followed by Gregory McMichael and his son, Travis McMichael, in a truck in Brunswick, Ga.

His family said Arbery had just gone out for jog when he was shot and killed after being pursued by the McMichaels. The McMichaels have claimed they were following Arbery because they thought he was a burglar.

A lawyer representing Arbery’s family, Lee Merritt, has posted footage of what appears to show Arbery struggling with one of the men shortly before his death. The Hill has not independently verified the source of the footage.

Merritt said in a statement earlier this week that the “video clearly shows Mr. Arbery jogging down the road in the middle of the day.”

“Mr. Arbery had not committed any crime and there was no reason for these men to believe they had the right to stop him with weapons or to use deadly force in furtherance of their unlawful attempted stop,” he said.

However, according to NBC News, police in Glynn County said in a report that Gregory McMichaels claimed Arbery “violently” attacked his son shortly before his death and that both had “started fighting over the shotgun at which point Travis fired a shot and then a second later there was a second shot.”

District Attorney Thomas Durden has said he will present the case of Arbery’s shooting death to a grand jury for review. Durden, who is based in Hinesville, reportedly took on the case after two local prosecutors recused themselves from the case due to possible conflicts of interests. Gregory McMichael previously worked as an investigator for a prosecutor in Brunswick.