Story at a glance
- Travis McMichael, 35 testified in his defense on Wednesday, explaining to jurors why he shot at 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery while he was on a jog.
- MicMichael believed Arbery was responsible for a recent string of thefts in his neighborhood.
- According to his testimony, McMichael and Arbery got into a physical confrontation and McMichael shot at Arbery in self defense.
Travis McMichael, one of three defendants on trial for the murder of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery, testfied in court on Wednesday and said his encounter with Arbery was a life or death situation.
Travis McMichael, 35, took the stand and told jurors that he began to chase Arbery alongside his father, Gregory McMichael, in his car to ask him questions as Arbery was running, because 12 days earlier he believed to have seen Arbery, “creeping in the shadows,” at night around a house under construction nearby, according to Reuters.
Travis McMichael and his father suspected Arbery had committed theft on a separate occasion and that he may have been armed because of the way he appeared to reach for his waistband or pocket. According to Reuters, the property owner’s lawyer said Arbery had likely stopped to drink from a water faucet.
Defense lawyers said the McMichaels were legally trying to stop Arbery under Georgia’s citizen arrest law, which has now been repealed.
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In his testimony, Travis McMichael continued by saying the chase between him and Arbery lasted about five minutes, and he presumed that his father had called 911. However, that turned out to be false, which then prompted the younger McMichael to call 911 himself, but as he was about to, he said he saw, “Mr. Arbery turn and come back,” towards him, according to The New York Post.
Travis McMichael said he believed Arbery was going to attack him and in response he raised his shotgun at him. The two got into a physical confrontation and Travis McMicheal claimed that, “he (Arbery) struck me, he had my gun. It was obvious he was attacking me. This is a life or death situation. I’m going to have to stop him from doing this.”
Travis McMichael ultimately shot at Arbery three times, killing him.
According to the Post, Travis McMichael also testified that he had arrest powers while serving as a mechanic in the U.S. Coast Guard and that he was trained on using force and the need for reasonable suspicion of a crime.
Three men are on trial for Arbery’s death, the McMichaels, both father and son, who chased Arbery in their truck while he was jogging, and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan, who filmed the altercation between the younger McMichael and Arbery.
All three men were indicted on nine criminal counts in Georgia state court, including felony murder, aggravated assault and false imprisonment. All three have pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges.
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