According to Gregory McMichael's own statement he and his son got in their truck and followed Arbery when they saw him run by their house. He further stated that he tried to cut Arbery off twice, and William Bryan tried once, before passing him and stopping further down the road so they could accost him.
That might be true, but if he believed that, he should have either stopped or ran away.
Both Gregory McMichael and Travis McMichael admit that Gregory made that threat as Arbery was passed the truck. Why should Arbery doubt that they would do what they threatened? After all they had followed him for some minutes and tried to cut him off twice? Why wouldn't he believe that they would kill them if they could?
Yeah, how do you "draw" a shotgun?
So it's semantics now? How about 'brandish' instead? Or 'wield'? "Threaten with'? 'Show'? 'Pointed'? The fact is he accosted Arbery armed with a shotgun after his father had just threatened to blow his head off. And yet the McMichaels claim all they wanted to do was talk with him. </sarcasm>
He did not defend himself. He *ATTACKED*.
He defended himself from those who would do him harm if not kill him. If part of that was trying to get the gun away from the closest one threatening him then that's still trying to defend yourself.
The salient point here is that Arbery was still going in whatever direction he pleased, and it appears that he chose to run in the direction they were.
Both Gregory McMichael and Travis McMichael admit that Gregory made that threat as Arbery was passed the truck. Why should Arbery doubt that they would do what they threatened?
He clearly did doubt it, or else he would not have given the man a very good reason to do it. I now think he believed the guy didn't have the guts to shoot him.
Why wouldn't he believe that they would kill them if they could?
I would say that "because they had not already done so" is a pretty good reason to believe they would not do so. I think shooting someone in broad daylight would be a tough thing to cover up, especially with the police sirens wailing in the distance while the cop cars are converging on your area.
Indeed, the man acted like he was more afraid of the police than he was of the fat guy holding the shotgun.
So it's semantics now?
Yeah, you're right. That was a cheap dodge.
The fact is he accosted Arbery armed with a shotgun after his father had just threatened to blow his head off. And yet the McMichaels claim all they wanted to do was talk with him.
I'm pretty sure all they wanted to do was get him to stop so that the police could deal with him. If they talked to him at all, it would probably be to ask what he was doing in that house, but it never really got to the talking stage.
He defended himself from those who would do him harm if not kill him.
A defense is running away. A defense is interposing some object between you and the man wielding a shotgun. Running at, punching in the face, and then grabbing at the weapon is not defense, it is offense.
He knew they wouldn't kill him because they already had made threats on which they didn't carry through, just as you noted above.
One does not grab a shotgun thinking someone will kill you with it. One grabs a shotgun by thinking someone *WON'T* kill you with it.
If part of that was trying to get the gun away from the closest one threatening him then that's still trying to defend yourself.
The father was in the bed of a truck with a pistol. The situation was untenable if they wanted him dead.