I had been wondering about the leaked, horrific, murder video showing Ahmaud Arbery being shot and killed by Travis McMichael with his father Gregory being the lethal wingman. The video was taken by a friend of the McMichaels who was also part of the lynch party. But, why would an accomplice share this incriminating video with anyone, let alone let it go public? Answer: the attorney for the McMichaels believed that the video would vindicate his clients: Who would think this video is exonerating?:
Attorney Alan Tucker told Inside Edition Friday that he was responsible for releasing the footage, which showed his pals Gregory and Travis McMichael engaged in a fatal altercation with Arbery in Brunswick on February 23.'I really thought releasing the video would put the truth out to the public,' Tucker stated.
'If he [Arbery] had just froze and hadn't done anything, then he wouldn't have been shot.'
Yes, it certainly is suspicious that an A-A man who, for no reason, has just been chased and accosted by two rednecks in a pick-up truck, wielding shot guns no less, would not immediately think, “oh, these fine upstanding citizens are looking out for the best interests of the neighborhood. I will stand here and dutifully answer their questions because they are completely entitled to investigate my presence in this area.”
Georgia is also a stand your ground state. Despite the video, I would not be shocked if the defense does not try to make the argument that McMichael feared for his life once Arbery came toward him. This defense would not be all that different from Zimmerman’s defense in the Trayvon Martin case. The Arbery murder raises the same issue— if the shooter instigates the confrontation by playing citizen cop, and the accused/innocent target does fight back, can the aggressor then claim to shoot in the name of self-defense. As we know, the jury ruled in favor of Zimmerman, in effect saying, yes, you can be the instigator of an altercation and claim self-defense. Zimmerman, of course, claimed he was merely “investigating” the area (after being told by a police dispatcher to stay in his vehicle) and then claimed Trayvon Martin blindsided him when was leaving the area. Unfortunately, there was no video recording of the altercation and we he had “he said, he’s dead” imbalance. Fortunately, we have that refuting evidence in this case but I will not be surprised if this killing becomes a culture war battle whereby MAGA (aka, black lives don’t matter) types rally around these de facto Klansman and do everything they can to make a jury trial a less certain outcome than it should be.
PS.
McMichael’s attorney, and wingnut social media warriors are also pivoting to the tried and true, “Arbery was no angel” defense because he had a legal infraction as a teenager.
Sadly, the script never changes.
Monday, May 11, 2020 · 9:11:11 PM +00:00 · madtownpopulist
Also, CCTV video, filmed in the proximate time of the shooting, shows a person “believed to be Arbery” peaking in at a construction site and then leaving (causing no damage or theft). The owner of the property, Larry English, called the police to report a trespass incidence but a formal statement from English’s attorney reads: “ He [English] never used the word ‘burglary.’ He never shared any of this information with the McMichaels, whom he did not even know. Nothing wasever stolen from the house – which, again, was a construction site.”
I mention this additional information only because these facts are bound to be distorted on social media. So, be vigilant when you come across disinformation implying that the McMichaels were chasing a suspected burglar.
Additional video in death of jogger
Monday, May 11, 2020 · 9:33:11 PM +00:00 · madtownpopulist
Okay, my speculation about some kind of self-defense claim being invoked is supported by the original police report. Remember that Gregory McMichael is an ex-police officer so he would know how to frame things in the best exculpatory light when making his statement. From the police report:
Gregory McMichael says Travis, driving the truck, pulled up alongside Arbery and shouted for him to stop “at which time Travis exited the truck with the shotgun.” Then, McMichael said, “the unidentified male began to violently [emphasis added] attack Travis.”
“The two men then began fighting over the shotgun at which point Travis fired a shot and then a second later there was another shot,” the report says.
Arbery_Shooting_Police_Report