Travis McMichael, one of three defendants charged with the murder of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia last year, took to the stand to make their defense.
McMichael is on trial, alongside his father, Gregory McMichael, and his neighbor, William “Roddy” Bryan, who are all charged with murder, and committing federal hate crimes as per the Justice Department.
The three testified on the claims of self-defense after pleading not guilty.
McMichael recounted where he and his father chased Arbery in their pickup truck before fatally shooting him. The two said they heard of rising crime in their Satilla Shores neighborhood. Two weeks prior to the shooting of Arbery, McMichael claimed he had seen someone “creeping through the shadows” through their neighborhood. Travis McMichael assumed it was Arbery when his father saw him running past two weeks later.
McMichael later testified that his father had not seen Arbery breaking into a neighbor’s house.
McMichael said he grabbed his shotgun and got into the pickup with his father. When the two caught up with Arbery, McMichael said that he asked him to stop but that Arbery didn’t stop or speak to him.
“I’m trying to keep this as non-volatile as possible. I’m not screaming at the guy. I’m just trying to figure out what’s happening,” McMichael recounted. “At this point, he’s still running, but I notice he looks very angry.”
McMichael claimed he tried to speak to him a second time to alert Arbery that the police were on their way.
Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images
McMichael testified that their neighbor Bryan joined the pursuit in his own vehicle after Arbery took off. McMichael said that when he had closed the distance as Arbery was approaching. McMichael claimed that Arbery made a grab for his shotgun, making him draw his weapon in what he claimed to be an act of self-defense. When asked if Arbery had brandished a weapon or threatened him in any way, McMichael testified that he had not.
“If you pull a weapon on someone, from what I’ve learned in my training, usually that tells people to back off,” Mr. McMichael, who used to be in the U.S. Coast Guard, said, per the New York Times.
McMichael said that he had felt his life was being threatened.
“He had my gun. He struck me,” McMichael said through tears. “It was obvious that he was attacking me, that if he would’ve got the shotgun from me, then it was a life or death situation. And I’m gonna have to stop him from doing this, so I shot.”
McMichael claimed that he believed he had only shot Arbery twice, the second time because he was “still fighting,” but realized it was three when speaking to investigators.
The defense will rest its case and the jury is released until Monday when closing arguments will begin.