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Travis McMichael says in his murder trial that he felt threatened by Ahmaud Arbery
NPR ^ | November 17, 2021 | Bill Chappell, Joe Hernandez, Emma Bowman

Posted on 11/20/2021 12:48:22 PM PST by Mr. Mojo

McMichael describes fatally shooting Arbery

(Excerpted)

McMichael said he was at home with family on Feb. 23 when his father came into the room and told him the man they believed had been breaking into houses in their neighborhood was back.

McMichael grabbed his shotgun and got into his truck with his father, Gregory, in the passenger seat. Although they didn't know Arbery's name at the time, they were looking for him.

When McMichael caught up with Arbery, he said he drove beside him and asked him to "please stop" but that Arbery didn't stop or speak to him.

At one point, McMichael said, he told Arbery the police were coming because he believed his father had called them, which he said caused Arbery to run off.

With his father in the the truck, McMichael eventually parked. That's when he saw Arbery running toward him, and McMichael said he raised his shotgun to deter Arbery, who ran toward the other side of the truck.

McMichael said Arbery then started to run back toward the truck and, worried that Arbery was going to harm his father, McMichael ran toward him. That's when the two began to fight.

"He had my gun. He struck me," McMichael said, choking up as he described the shooting. "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 said he felt that Arbery was overpowering him and he had to use lethal force.

(Excerpt) Read more at npr.org ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; US: Georgia
KEYWORDS: ahmaudarbery; arbery; banglist; georgia
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To: Fishtalk

What was he going to steal? Some drywall, a hammer? For some reason, people like to go into houses under construction and it seems that is exactly what he was doing. These guys had no business following and confronting him. They had no right to command him to stop, he had to have been terrified. They just didn’t want him on their street, they were VIGILANTES”


41 posted on 11/20/2021 2:56:08 PM PST by Toespi ( )
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To: Toespi

All I can say, teespi, is…well ok.

Not saying I agree, not saying I don’t agree.

Need to
Work on straighten in my brain.

But insight is always appreciated and helps to make me understand .


42 posted on 11/20/2021 3:04:29 PM PST by Fishtalk
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To: ARW

Nope. I don’t know why people are trying to defend the McMichaels. They got the neighbor and used their vehicles to chase Arbery for a mile around the neighborhood. These guys were morons.

That is not defending Arbery. That is telling the truth about the actions of the McMichaels.


43 posted on 11/20/2021 3:15:57 PM PST by Bryan24 (When in doubt, move to the right..........)
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To: Trump.Deplorable

The real cops only exist to arrest people like Rittenhouse and other people who defend themselves, and the left wants the police defunded. Thousands of police have quit, because they refuse to be jackboot agents of the state or have their lives ruined since it’s Mob Rule.


44 posted on 11/20/2021 3:21:42 PM PST by sumuam
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To: DoodleDawg
"There are videos of him walking through the house with expensive tools in plain sight. Yet nothing was ever stolen."

It would have been a bit hard for him to walk away with anything substantial in broad daylight, especially since he was on foot. The owner of the property must have felt that his neighborhood was safe enough to leave everything in place, and the property unsecured. That was foolish of him, and set himself up to be a potential victim. Arbery had been there on other occasions, and could have been casing the place, with the intent of telling others about what was there. Nobody knows what the guy was up to. He was in a neighborhood he didn't live in, trespassing on property he had no business being inside. It shouldn't have surprised him that someone noticed his presence, and chose to confront him about it.

45 posted on 11/20/2021 3:41:38 PM PST by mass55th ("Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway." ~~ John Wayne )
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To: Mr. Mojo

What about those black youths who chased down some passing jogger a baseball player drove up behind him and shot him in the back.
I believe that they said they were bored.
What happened to them?
Or Reginald Denny assailants? Mayhem ? caught up in it?
Gimme a break.Rest assured that the only peace and safety count worthy is what you afford yourself and your love ones.


46 posted on 11/20/2021 3:42:50 PM PST by Recompennation (Don’t blame me my vote didn’t count..)
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To: Mr Rogers

Whatever.
I have learned that being amicable and spite is a great benefit to living a normal peaceful life .

If you are rude and confrontational you often end up with problems you’d rather do without


47 posted on 11/20/2021 3:43:47 PM PST by LeoWindhorse
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To: Mr. Mojo
McMichael grabbed his shotgun and got into his truck with his father, Gregory, in the passenger seat. Although they didn't know Arbery's name at the time, they were looking for him. When McMichael caught up with Arbery, he said he drove beside him and asked him to "please stop" but that Arbery didn't stop or speak to him. At one point, McMichael said, he told Arbery the police were coming because he believed his father had called them, which he said caused Arbery to run off. With his father in the the truck, McMichael eventually parked. That's when he saw Arbery running toward him, and McMichael said he raised his shotgun to deter Arbery, who ran toward the other side of the truck. McMichael said Arbery then started to run back toward the truck and, worried that Arbery was going to harm his father, McMichael ran toward him. That's when the two began to fight. "He had my gun. He struck me," McMichael said, choking up as he described the shooting. "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 said he felt that Arbery was overpowering him and he had to use lethal force.

They admit to going after him themselves first. They instigated this - Arbery did not create this situation. Not first degree murder, but probably manslaughter. Totally unwise behavior. Stay home or follow at a distance and let the police deal with it if you think he's been breaking into your houses. He's under no obligation to speak with you while he's just jogging down the road. He has the right to ignore you.

48 posted on 11/20/2021 4:04:43 PM PST by Republican Wildcat
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To: LeoWindhorse

That could go for both sides of this case. But only one side started this by pursuing another.


49 posted on 11/20/2021 4:06:27 PM PST by Republican Wildcat
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To: mass55th
That was foolish of him, and set himself up to be a potential victim.

And yet he never reported any items stolen or ever filed a police report. Must not have been much of a victim then.

Arbery had been there on other occasions, and could have been casing the place, with the intent of telling others about what was there.

Or he could have just been looking around the new construction, as other people - including white people - had been filmed doing.

He was in a neighborhood he didn't live in, trespassing on property he had no business being inside.

I didn't know that either of those was a capital offense.

It shouldn't have surprised him that someone noticed his presence, and chose to confront him about it.

I don't think anyone really expects to be confronted by armed men threatening to kill him when he hadn't done anything wrong.

50 posted on 11/20/2021 4:30:46 PM PST by DoodleDawg
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To: ifinnegan
Yeah, Rittenhouse was running away trying to avoid a confrontations. These yahoos affirmatively went looking for a confrontation with the dead guy.

Different case.

51 posted on 11/20/2021 4:53:54 PM PST by Bruce Campbells Chin
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To: LeoWindhorse

I dunno. If there black guys in trucks were following me when I was out for a run, paced me, an
d asked me to stop...I just might run like hell depending on the vibe I was getting.


52 posted on 11/20/2021 4:58:01 PM PST by Bruce Campbells Chin
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To: DoodleDawg
"And yet he never reported any items stolen or ever filed a police report. Must not have been much of a victim then."

This article is from May 2020:

Owner of Home that Arbery Entered Says the Neighborhood Was on “High Alert” Burglary of Neighbor and Reports of Trespassing

In testimony, the owner, Larry English said he had called 911 regarding a white couple who had entered his property:

'I think they might be trying to steal' | Homeowner's 911 call on white couple in Ahmaud Arbery death trial

"On the night they could be seen, English made at least three calls to 911 from his home in Coffee County about 90 minutes away (the home under construction was to be his second home)."

The article also states that he believed the white couple were the same individuals who had stolen items worth $2500 from his fishing boat.

53 posted on 11/20/2021 5:04:20 PM PST by mass55th ("Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway." ~~ John Wayne )
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To: DoodleDawg

+1


54 posted on 11/20/2021 5:31:27 PM PST by stormer
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To: DoodleDawg
In most states if you are the initiator of the conflict you have a hard time proving self defense.

That is the law in Texas. You may well have had a reasonable fear that the guy you killed was attempting to harm you. Heck, the prosecution might even concede that you did, because the deceased was trying to harm you. But if you provoked the deceased into attacking you, by giving him a reasonable fear that you were attempting to harm him, self defense will not provide a legal justification for you actions. (Absent abandonment of aggression issues not present in this case.)

55 posted on 11/20/2021 6:04:04 PM PST by Pilsner
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To: LeoWindhorse

Your out of your mind. Hell no I wouldn’t stop to talk with some rando in a truck. None of their business. The truckers should have called the police and gone home. These guys should get life in prison.


56 posted on 11/20/2021 7:55:12 PM PST by napscoordinator (Trump/Hunter, jr for President/Vice President 2016 democratic )
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To: LeoWindhorse

One thing not mentioned that I know of is that you can clearly hear sirens before Arbery attacks mcmichael.
He KNEW the cops were almost there.
He didn’t want to be caught. PERIOD.


57 posted on 11/20/2021 9:55:37 PM PST by DrewsMum
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To: Bryan24

They didn’t “get the neighbor”. They never said anything to him. He just joined in.


58 posted on 11/20/2021 9:58:28 PM PST by DrewsMum
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To: Bryan24

So you didn’t really tell the truth did you?


59 posted on 11/20/2021 9:59:08 PM PST by DrewsMum
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To: doug from upland

That isn’t what happened.

Sheesh!

There was a history.


60 posted on 11/20/2021 9:59:49 PM PST by DrewsMum
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