As the U.S. erupts in nationwide protest, the case of the two Georgia men who obstructed the running path of Ahmaud Arbery, 25, and shot him dead in February held its first hearing.
Travis McMichael and his father Gregory McMichael are being charged for the murder of the unarmed black man that sparked widespread protest proceeding the death of George Floyd.
New details emerged in the case from the testimony of William Bryan, the man who filmed the incident. The details make the case that the McMichaels had motive to harass and kill a black man.
Bryan said he heard Travis McMichael use a racial slur before killing Arbery. Footage from a body cam also revealed a confederate flag sticker on McMichael’s toolbox. It is also being alleged that Arbery was hit with one of the trucks while running.
Bryan opted to waive his right to appear in court. Details of the incident were communicated in court by Assistant Special Agent in Charge Richard Dial as he analyzed the moment leading up to Arbery’s death.
“[Bryan’s] statement was that Mr. Arbery kept jumping out of the way and moving around the bumper and actually running down into the ditch in an attempt to avoid his truck,” said Dial.
The hearing mainly consisted of Dial rehashing what led to the arrest of the McMichaels and the evidence he collected. The McMichael’s were arrested on May 7, nearly three months after the incident occurred.
Arbery was running along a rural road in Satilla Shores, Georgia when two white men, Travis McMichael and his father Gregory McMichael, started to follow him in their white pickup. The truck stopped in the middle of the road blocking Arbery from running past the two gun wielding men.
As Arbery proceeded to go around the truck, Travis McMichael pointed his shotgun at Arbery and a struggle ensued. Soon, the gunman would let off three shots killing Arbery in the middle of the road. Following behind in a vehicle, Bryan captured the entire incident on video.
After today’s hearing, Judge Wallace Harrell of the Glynn County Chief Magistrate will decide if the case will be presented to the superior court for trial. In the meantime, the NAACP is planning an organized protest outside of the courthouse.
