Ahmaud Arbery killing: Court hears chilling testimony on first day of trial
Brunswick, Georgia – The trial against the three men involved in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery has begun.
After a two-week-long jury selection, the trial against Gregory McMichael (67), his son Travis McMichael (35) and their neighbor, William Bryan (52) for the death of Ahmaud Arbery kicked off on Friday. All three men have pled not guilty to the charges against them.
On February 23, 2020, Ahmaud Arbery was shot and killed while on a run at the hand of Travis McMichael's shotgun, which he alleges was an act made in self-defense, according to NPR.
Both the McMichaels and Bryan have also claimed that Arbery and Travis McMichael were fighting over Travis' shotgun when the fatal shooting occurred.
Prosecutors are looking for the jury – comprised of one Black and 11 White members – to convict the men of several charges, such as felony murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment.
In opening arguments on Friday, CNN reported that prosecutor Linda Dunikoski told the jury, "In this case, all three of these defendants did everything they did based on assumptions," she said. "Not on facts, not on evidence – on assumptions."
The attorneys representing the McMichaels argued their clients were attempting to make a citizen's arrest of Arbery, who they suspected of burglary after allegedly seeing him entering a home that was under construction.
"The evidence shows overwhelmingly that Travis McMichael honestly and lawfully attempted to detain Ahmaud Arbery according to the law and shot and killed him in self-defense," said Bob Rubin, Travis McMichael's defense attorney, during opening statements.
The exchange that led to Arbery's demise was partially captured on video by Bryan, who alerted law enforcement of the altercation.
All eyes are on the jury as the trial begins
On Friday, the jury also heard testimony from the case's first witness in Glynn County Police Officer William Duggan.
During his time on the stand, Duggan told the jury he arrived at the scene to find a Black man laying on the ground and several people walking around nearby.
Body camera footage of Duggan's was played in court on Friday, with CNN reporting that various jurors and individuals in the courtroom opted to cover their eyes from the graphic nature of what was being shown.
According to CNN, Duggan said he believed the man was dead because of, "The amount of blood loss I saw on the scene, the lack of rise and fall of the chest, and basically the gaping wound I saw in his chest. There was nothing I could do for him."
Day two of the trial resumed on Monday, when former Glynn County police officer Ricky Minshew – who was the first officer to arrive at the scene of the fatal shooting – took the stand.
The former police officer testified that Bryan never mentioned that a citizen's arrest was taking place upon his arrival – something the defendants have claimed they were attempting to do.
According to the transcript of Minshew's body camera footage, Bryan told the officer he had been in pursuit of Arbery in his truck, and had attempted to block the young man – who was on foot – with his vehicle five times.
Minshew also testified that he did not render aid or administer CPR upon arriving at the scene, saying, "[The] only thing that I knew, that I observed, was a body laying in the middle of the road, that bled out by apparent gunfire."
He continued, "Being that I was the only officer on scene, without having any other police units to watch my backs, there [was no] way that I could switch my attention to anything that was medical and be aware of my surroundings and watch after my own safety."
This was something Arbery's mother Wanda Cooper-Jones told reporters she couldn't comprehend.
"I didn't really understand why he didn't render aid. I understood he had to go and secure the crime scene, but at the same time he had a guy laying in the middle of the road in a puddle of blood. I couldn't really understand why he didn't render aid at that time."
Court adjourned before 5 PM EST, and is expected to resume on Tuesday.
Cover photo: IMAGO/ZUMA Wire