The senseless murder of Ahmaud Arbery at the hands of Travis McMichael, with help from his father Gregory McMichael and neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan Jr., has become a prime example for the Black Lives Matter movement since the February 2020 tragedy occurred.
One of the main people who had to suffer the most outside of Ahmaud himself has been his mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones. As Day 1 of the murder trial began last Friday, her pain only worsened as she had to watched the body camera footage that showed the gruesome aftermath of her son’s killing.
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Left weeping, as reported by CNN, Cooper-Jones had to put her head in her hands as the video played in court. Based off a recollection from the pool reporter in the room, one juror also found it equally as hard to watch after being seen “shielding herself with her notebook” to avoid watching the painful aftermath of Ahmaud’s shooting.
Here’s more of what Ahmaud Arbery’s mom was dealing with during court according to her own recollection below, via CNN:
“It was the first day of trial for the three men accused in the 25-year-old jogger’s killing. After the court was adjourned Friday evening, Wanda Cooper-Jones, Arbery’s mother, told reporters during a short press conference that watching the video was ‘heartbreaking.’
‘The many times over the last couple … (of) months, I questioned what happened to Ahmaud in the last minutes of his life,’ she said. ‘I often avoided the video but today I decided it was time to see the video.’”
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Obviously we wouldn’t show the footage here even if we had it, but based on the account of Glynn County Police Officer William Duggan — he’s the officer that obtained the footage after responding to the scene due to being nearby — it depicts him turning over Arbery’s lifeless body followed by Duggan stating, “There’s nothing I can do for this gentleman.”
The McMichaels and Bryan Jr. have plead not guilty, citing the shooting as “self-defense” after trying to conduct a citizen’s arrest. Prosecutor Linda Dunikoski argued otherwise, saying the defendants “tracked down, cornered and fatally shot Arbery without evidence or knowledge he’d done anything wrong.” We’re inclined to believe the latter.
We’ll continue to keep you all updated as the Ahmaud Arbery murder trial continues, and please keep Wanda Cooper-Jones in your prayers as we’ve all been so far.
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Ahmaud Arbery’s Mom Sat Through Graphic Body Cam Footage Of His Death During First Day Of Trial was originally published on blackamericaweb.com
