Ahmaud Arbery suspect texted about ‘shooting c**n with gold teeth’, friend says he was referring to 'raccoon'
Ahmaud Arbery murder suspect, Travis McMichael, was "talking about a raccoon" in a racist text message about "shooting a crackhead c**n with gold teeth," his friend claimed. Zachary Langford appeared in a Georgia court on Thursday, November 12, as Travis and his father, Gregory McMichael, face charges in Arbery's death.
The father-son duo, 64-year-old Gregory and 34-year-old Travis, shot dead Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man on February 23 on a street in broad daylight while he was jogging. The pair reportedly suspected him to be a burglar running around the neighborhood. Arbery was shot thrice and was reported dead on the scene. After a video of the assault was released on social media, the incident sparked a widespread racial outcry across the country, leading many to question why the suspects were arrested only after the outrage. The suspects were arrested on May 7, two months after the attack, and currently face murder charges.
Local prosecutors had reportedly refused to charge the pair initially. The viral clip appears to show the two White men were waiting for Arbery as he jogged down the street before opening fire. The pair have now been booked into the Glynn County Jail.
Prosecutors, during Thursday's hearing, asked Langford, who has been friends with Travis, about a text message he received from his friend last year that included a racial slur for Black people. Prosecutor Jesse Evans asked Langford about a text that mentioned "shooting a crackhead c**n with gold teeth with a Hi-Point .45." Langford, at first, said that he did not remember the text message. However, after reviewing the transcript, he added: "He was referring to a raccoon, I believe," the Associated Press reported. The prosecutor also asked him about a social media post where Langford used an Asian slur, allegedly writing: "Ha ha ha. Sayonara you slant-eyed f#@$." Lanford, however, did not remember the post either.
Gregory, a former police officer, alleged in a police report that when he saw Arbery, he believed he fit the description of someone who had committed a series of break-ins. One of Travis McMichael’s attorneys, on Thursday, said: "We have substantial evidence that, on the day in question, Mr. Arbery was not a jogger. He was there for nefarious purposes." Prosecutors, however, have maintained that Arbery was just jogging when he was fatally shot, and his family has called the incident a "hate crime." Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley, as of Thursday afternoon, did not make a decision on bond for either of the McMicahels.
A third suspect, William Bryan, 50, who filmed the entire attack, also faces murder charges in Arbery's shooting. If Bryan is found guilty, he could face the death penalty or life in prison for the felony murder charge and up to 10 years of imprisonment. The 50-year-old "did attempt to confine and detain Ahmaud Arbery without legal authority, by attempting to confine Arbery utilizing his vehicle on multiple occasions... with the intention of confining and detaining Arbery," the warrant stated, standing in contrast to Bryan's earlier claims of just being a "witness" to the murder.