On Tuesday, Brandeberry — one of the officers who initially interviewed Gregory McMichael — testified that Gregory McMichael appeared “animated” and “very excited” when he arrived.
“Did he ever tell you when you were talking to him that he was trying to arrest a civilian?” Prosecutor Linda Dunnikowski asked Brandberry.
“No, ma’am,” replied Brandberry, the state’s fifth witness at trial.
On the day of the shooting, Brandeberry was a patrol officer for the second day after rejoining the force. He was answering a separate domestic violence call in the Satilla Shores neighborhood outside Brunswick when he was redirected to the scene of Arbery’s shooting.
Brandeberry was appointed to interview Gregory McMichael. He testified to what McMichael told him during interviews on the scene, using transcripts from his body camera footage. Part of the footage was shown by prosecutors and defense.
“He (Gregory McMichael) was on the blood, I believe it was his left hand,” Brandberry said.
Gregory McMichael interprets the blood as if Arbery was being shot and is still lying on his face after breathing, McMichael pulls out one of Arbery’s weapons to check if he has There is no weapon, Brandeberry testified. Gave.
Brandeberry also testified about what Gregory McMichael said that led to the shooting. McMichael said he saw a black man running near his home, the officer testified.
According to his transcript, McMichael told Brandeberry, “This guy comes into the street with a donkey. I’m talking dead run, he’s not jogging.” He told Brandeberry that he ran into her house.
“So I haul ass to get (a) .357 Magnum in my bedroom,” McMichael continued, “I don’t take any chances,” according to the transcript.
Brandeberry testified that McMichael told him he was yelling at Arbery, “Wait, wait. I’ll talk to you.” One time, he grabbed Arbery in his truck while yelling, “Wait. Hi god.”
While re-elected by the prosecutor, Brandberry clarified that he could not testify about how many times Gregory McMichael yelled, “Wait. Bap re.”
Bryan, who recorded a video of the shooting, allegedly hit Arbery with his truck after joining the McMichaels in chasing Arbery. The three men were allowed to leave the scene and were not arrested until the video of the shooting became public.
Gregory McMichael said he may have shot Arbery, officer testifies
Asked how many shots were fired, McMichael told the officer that there were “two shots,” according to Brandeberry.
“If I could have shot the man, I would have shot him myself, because he was, he was violent…” McMichael said, according to the transcript, before interrupting the conversation.
At that point, McMichael began talking to a civilian who was at the scene, Brandeberry testified. That conversation was captured on his body camera. The unidentified person inquired as to who had been shot.
The unidentified person then asked if Travis McMichael was okay.
“He’s upset as hell,” said Gregory McMichael, according to the transcript. “He attacked my son.”
“He (Arbery) came to him,” McMichael said, according to the transcript. “He tried to take the damn shotgun away.”
During the cross-examination Gregory McMichael’s attorney, Franklin Hogg, read from the transcript that Gregory McMichael thought Arbery was breaking into houses in the neighborhood.
“This man, who we have seen many times in the video, enters these other houses, he finds a donkey on the street. I mean, he’s been added to it,” McMichael said according to the transcript.
Prosecutors also looked at photographs that police took of Travis McMichael just after the shooting. Travis McMichael is shown with blood on his arms and shirt, his jeans and face covered in blood.
During a light moment at the beginning of his testimony, Danikowski asked Brandberry if this was the first time he had testified before a jury.
“Not with the jury. No ma’am. Certainly not on TV,” replied Brandberry, as some in the courtroom laughed silently.
According to Poole, the jury members, all wearing facemasks, appeared to listen carefully to Brandeberry’s testimony.
Wanda Cooper-Jones, Arbery’s mother; According to a pool reporter in the room, Marcus Arbery Sr., Arbery’s father, and Travis and Gregory McMichael’s mother and wife Leigh McMichael were in the courtroom.
CNN’s Jason Hanna, Ralph Ellis, Dakin Andone and Christina Maxouris contributed to this report.
.