White father and son charged with murdering Ahmaud Arbery appear in court

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The man who shot dead Ahmaud Arbery shouted a racial slur as the unarmed black jogger lay dying in a Georgia street, an investigator for the prosecution told a court Thursday.

Greg McMichael, 64, and his son Travis McMichael, 34, appeared before Glynn County Magistrate Judge Wallace E. Harrell via video link from the Glynn County Jail on Thursday morning. 

Arbery was shot and killed by Travis McMichael on February 23, after he and Greg McMichael armed themselves and gave chase to the 25-year-old black man when they saw him running in their neighborhood, near Brunswick. 

During dramatic testimony, Special Agent Richard Dial of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation revealed that Travis McMichael allegedly said ‘f****** n*****’ at Arbery after the fatal shooting took place.

The shocking claim was made by their neighbor, 50-year-old William ‘Roddie’ Bryan, who has also been arrested and charged with felony murder after allegedly using a vehicle to try to confine and detain Arbery. Bryan also reportedly hit Arbery with his vehicle. 

Investigators found a swipe from a palm print on the rear door of Bryan’s truck, cotton fibers near the truck bed and a dent below the fibers that were attributed ‘to contact with Mr. Arbery,’ Dial said. 

In the months prior to the fatal exchange, the investigator revealed that Travis McMichael, a former US Coast Guard trainee, had reportedly used the N-word numerous times in social media posts and in messages on his cell phone.

In one such message, investigators say Travis once exclaimed he loved his job because he was ‘on a boat and there were not any n****** anywhere.’ 

In a response to an Instagram post about using violence against black people, Travis McMichael is said to have responded ‘Blow that n****** head off’.

Thursday’s probable cause hearing was scheduled by Judge Harrell to determine whether authorities have enough evidence of murder in Arbery’s killing to send the case to a trial court. 

The McMichaels weren’t were charged with felony murder and aggravated assault until May 7. Their arrests came two days after cellphone video of the shooting leaked online and stirred a national outcry. 

A large group of Arbery supporters have gathered outside the courtroom to peacefully protest while the hearing is underway, calling for ‘Justice for Ahmaud’. A white elderly male wearing a ‘Legends of the Confederacy’ t-shirt was seen confronting demonstrators.  

Largely peaceful protests following the deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, and Arbery have led to outbreaks of violence in many larger cities, including Atlanta, over the last week.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp promised a ‘strong state law enforcement presence’ in the Brunswick area to coincide with the court hearing, which was seen in action on Thursday morning. 

Greg McMichael, a former investigator in the Glenn County Judicial Circuit, told police after the shooting in February that he suspected Arbery of committing break-ins in the neighborhood. Surveillance footage later showed Arbery inside a construction site moments before he was shot dead.

During his testimony, Special Agent Dial took said that authorities have found no evidence Arbery ever took anything from the construction site. Arbery had reportedly been spotted at the site before, though the circumstances of his visit remain unclear.

Dial acknowledged rumors that the home, which has no interior walls or doors, has running water for which Arbery may have stopped at to rehydrate on his run. Dial said at least two other people have also been spotted inside the home.

The detective gave detailed testimony about the McMichaels’ efforts to literally chase down Arbery, after receiving a call that spotting him running in the neighborhood. 

Dial said that neither of the defendants called 911 before getting their firearms and jumping into their truck to confront Arbery about the claims of an apparent burglary. 

‘They decided he was someplace he wasn’t supposed to be and they were trying to catch him,’ Dial told the court. 

Bryan, meanwhile, was said to be stood outside of his residence with a video camera. The 50-year-old then got into his truck with the intention of assisting with the McMichael’s pursuit of Arbery. He did not call 911 either, Dial said.

After noticing he was being pursued by the men, Dial says Arbery attempted to run in a different direction to evade the McMichaels. 

Travis got out of the truck to confront him, while Bryan pulled out of his driveway in an attempt to block Arbery in.

Arbery then ran around Bryan’s truck, with Bryan maneuvering his vehicle several times to obstruct the 23-year-old.

‘[Bryan’s] statement was that Mr. Arbery kept jumping out of the way and moving around the bumper and actually ran down into a ditch in an attempt to avoid his truck,’ Dial said.

Arbery attempted to run out from the Satilla Shores neighborhood where the defendants live, but the McMichaels forced him to turn back and run past Bryan, the agent said. 

That is when Bryan struck Arbery with his vehicle, Dial said, and Arbery kept running with the McMichaels in pursuit. 

Arbery soon found himself trapped between the McMichaels’ and Bryan’s trucks. It was at this stage that Bryan picked up his cellphone once more and held it up to record Arbery. 

In the footage, Travis McMichael is seen holding a shotgun. He would later tell investigators he was concerned Arbery was armed because he ‘kept grabbing his pants [and] his pockets’.

Arbery attempts to run from Travis when a gunshot is heard. The pair then become involved in a struggle with Arbery striking Travis. 

Two more shots are heard ringing out before Arbery collapses to the ground. The 23-year-old suffering a gunshot wounds to the center of his chest, the upper left area of his chest and to his right wrist.

Gregory McMichael told investigators he only heard two shots. He said he was on the phone with 911 dispatchers at the time, and claims to have told his son, Travis, not to shoot Arbery. 

Three spent shells from a shotgun were recovered at the scene. Travis McMichael later admitted to firing his shotgun three times, striking Arbery each time.

In the moments after shooting Arbery, and before law enforcement arrived on scene, Bryan claims her heard Travis McMichael say ‘f****** n*****’ towards Arbery as he lay dying on the floor.  

When quizzed by the defense whether the McMichael’s could’ve been acting in self defense, Dial said that Arbery only struck Travis McMichael after the first shot was fired. He also said he did not spot any visible injuries on Travis.

Dial also addressed a claim made by Bryan that he observed Arbery attempting to apparently climb into the McMichaels’ truck at one point during the pursuit.

‘I would say he’s trying to get away’, Dial responded to the defense. 

Similarly, Jesse Evans, a special prosecutor in the case, told the judge the evidence will show Arbery ‘was chased, hunted down and ultimately executed.’

The family of Ahmaud Arbery have long said he had been out jogging on the day of his death. Dial said Arbery had previously run through the Satilla Shores neighborhood. 

The former high school football player ran to stay in shape and lived less than two miles from the subdivision where he was killed. His mother said he planned to start technical college in the fall to become an electrician.

During the hearing, the McMichaels’ attorneys attempted to raise the issue of Arbery’s ‘mental history’, which the prosecution objected to. 

On instructions of the judge, Dial confirmed that Arbery had previously been diagnosed with a unspecified mental illness that caused hallucinations. At the time of his death, Dial said Arbery was no longer being treated for that illness.

Defense attorneys for both McMichaels have said much remains unknown about what led to the shooting and have cautioned against rushing to judgment. An attorney for Bryan has said he was merely a witness to Arbery’s death. 

All three defendants remain jailed in Glynn County. A different judge will have to decide whether to allow them to go free on bond.

Outside the courthouse, demonstrators were heard chaning ‘No Bond’. Some have even been heard calling for violence is bond is granted, which was met with heckles of ‘No, no!’.