It's been a week filled with unsettling news when it comes to racially charged incidents. Now we're learning more about what reportedly happened in the moments after Ahmaud Arbery, the 25-year-old black man who was killed while out jogging, was shot back in February.
According to a witness, William Bryan, who is also being charged in the case and took the video of the shooting, Travis McMichael used a racial slur when Arbery was lying on the ground, bleeding to death. McMichael is accused of shooting Arbery, who suffered three gunshot wounds. Bryan says the alleged killer yelled “F–king n—-r” after shooting him.
That is what Georgia Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Richard Dial testified during a preliminary hearing Thursday morning, which was streamed online. The three men allegedly involved in the crime — Travis McMichael, his father Gregory McMichael, and William Bryan — will stand trial on all charges, the judge ruled.
Ahmaud Arbery was shot and killed while jogging on February 23. In early May, video footage of the incident emerged. The alleged killers were still free at the time, but amid a public outcry in Georgia and across the country, they were finally arrested.
Now we've learned new details of the event that unfolded on that fateful day. The McMichaels allegedly chased Arbery in their truck before Travis McMichael shot him. Bryan told investigators he heard Travis McMichael use a racial epithet after fatally shooting Arbery.
Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent Richard Dial testified at the hearing. Dial outlined other key allegations, too. He detailed the events leading up to Arbery's death. He told the judge, during the seven-hour hearing, that Arbery was pursued by the defendants and that Bryan hit Arbery with his truck.
Dial also told the court that investigators who examined Bryan's pickup truck found a dent, fibers from Arbery's white shirt, and handprints. They determined that Arbery was able to get away before Bryan and the McMichaels blocked him again minutes later. The new details contradict Bryan's previous statements in which he claimed he was merely a witness to the event and in no way a participant.
Arbery's mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, reacted to the horrific new details. She spoke to CNN's Chris Cuomo, saying she was devastated when she heard the agent's testimony. "I often imagine the last minutes of my son's life. I didn't imagine it would be that harsh, but to learn that that statement was made in the last seconds of his life … it was very heartbreaking," she said.
There seems to be plenty of evidence in the case to point to the guilt of all three men — including past display of racially charged language. Agent Dial said there were "numerous times" on social media and via messaging services that Travis McMichael used the same slur that he allegedly yelled at Arbery. According to the testimony, he once messaged someone that he loved his job because there "weren't any N-words anywhere." And in another instance, McMichael replied in an Instagram message that things would be better if someone had "blown that N-word's head off."
Likewise, Bryan had messages on his cellphone using the same kind of language. "There's evidence of Mr. Bryan's racist attitude in his communications, and from that I extrapolate the reason why he made assumptions he did that day," Dial testified. "He saw a man running down the road with a truck following him, and I believe he made certain assumptions that were, at least in part, based upon his racial bias."
Attorneys for the McMichaels say both men are innocent. They also said that the full story has not yet been revealed. "So often the public accepts a narrative driven by an incomplete set of facts, one that vilifies a good person," defense attorney Laura Hogue said in a statement.
This new information comes amid a week of protests after the death of George Floyd. Four officers have been charged with involvement in the incident. Many feel it's a time that could bring real change, as support for the Black Lives Matter movement grows.
People will undoubtedly be watching this case very closely to see what happens in regard to the suspected killers. There seems to be overwhelming evidence that points to guilt, including the video, past racial bias, and physical evidence. Agent Dial also gave clear and convincing testimony.
"I believe Mr. Arbery was being pursued, and he ran till he couldn't run anymore, and it was turn his back to a man with a shotgun or fight with his bare hands against the man with the shotgun. He chose to fight," Dial said. "I believe Mr. Arbery's decision was to just try to get away, and when he felt like he could not escape he chose to fight."
