William Bryan told investigators he heard Travis McMichael use a racial epithet after fatally shooting Ahmaud Arbery in Glynn County, a Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent testified Thursday at a preliminary hearing.
Bryan told police Travis McMichael said “f***ing n***er” after three blasts from his shotgun left Arbery dead in the street in the Satilla Shores neighborhood in February, GBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Richard Dial testified. Body camera footage also showed a Confederate flag sticker on the toolbox of McMichael’s truck, he said.
On cross-examination, Dial testified Bryan mentioned the slur in a May 13 GBI interview, and to Dial’s knowledge, Bryan had not previously made the allegation, including during a May 11 interview.
Thursday’s hearing lasted about seven hours, with the judge ruling all three defendants – Bryan, McMichael and McMichael’s father, Gregory McMichael – will stand trial on all charges.
The details of Arbery’s last moments emerged amid a week of nationwide protests over another killing – that of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis – and demonstrators have also called for justice in Arbery’s case.