Travis McMichael confirms at murder trial that Ahmaud Arbery didn't threaten him

• Travis McMichaels testified on Wednesday in the trial of Ahmaud Arbery's murder.
• He claimed to be acting in self-defense when he shot and killed Arbery, but later confirmed Arbery didn't physically threaten him.

Travis McMichael took the stand during his murder trial on Wednesday, testifying that he shot and killed Ahmaud Arbery — an unarmed Black man jogging in his neighborhood — in self-defense.

But during cross-examination by the prosecutor, McMichael also said that Arbery never had a gun or said anything before McMichael fatally shot him.

McMichael, 35, said in a Georgia courtroom that he and his father, Gregory McMichael, 65, pursued Arbery in a pickup truck because they thought he was a burglar and wanted to make a citizen's arrest.

McMichael said he confronted Arbery and claimed the man grabbed the shotgun he had brought with him.

"He was not relenting so I shot again to stop him," McMichael said.

McMichael said he was testifying to "give my side of the story."

The McMichaels are on trial alongside a third man, William Bryan, 52, who also pursued Arbery in another vehicle in 2020.

The trio face murder charges in connection with Arbery's death on February 23, 2020. They face felony charges of murder, aggravated assault, and false imprisonment and have all pleaded not guilty.

Travis McMichael told defense attorneys that he grew concerned about car break-ins and people squatting after moving to his neighborhood in 2018, adding that a pistol he owned was once stolen.

"It was a common occurrence at that point," he told the court. Saying that he was in the "constant presence" of "suspicious persons" and "homeless people."

He claimed that two weeks before Arbery's death, he saw someone outside the house again and he and his father called the police.

McMichaels said he shot Arbery after he grabbed the barrel of the shotgun during a confrontation at close range.

"He had my gun. He struck me," McMichael said. "It was obvious that he was attacking me, if he would have gotten the shotgun from me, it was a life or death situation. And I'm going to have to stop him from doing this."

But during the cross-examination, prosecutor Linda Dunikoski pressed McMichael about the lead-up to the fatal shooting.

McMichael confirmed that he continued to pursue Arbery for 5 minutes, despite the man's attempts to run away. And McMichael testified that Arbery didn't have a gun or verbally threaten him at any point.

"He's trying to get away from you, he doesn't want to stop, doesn't want to talk, and you're backing up to go along with him?" Dunikoski asked.

"That's correct," McMichaels responded.

Dunikoski also noted that when Arbery ran around McMichaels' pick-up truck moments before the shooting, Travis didn't back away but instead moved toward Arbery.

The trial continued on Thursday.