Security video sent to us by @schindy was important evidence. It showed when Arbery first appeared on Satilla Drive. But the timecode was wrong.
Our colleague in Georgia, @RichardFausset, obtained 911 calls and logs. The audio files came with the correct time stamp, and the text logs corroborated this (10 sec. difference - presumably accounted for by different computer system, or dispatchers typing).
What we see in the video, we can hear in the 911 call, and so we can roughly sequence events:
13:04:14 - Arbery stops on lawn, enters 220 Satilla
13:08:14 - neighbor calls 911
13:08:43 - Arbery runs from the property
13:10:18 - first 911 call ends
Neighbors were alert to trespassers frequenting the property and these videos were shared on a local Facebook page.
Why did Arbery enter 220? We don't know. He studied to become an electrician, perhaps was nosey. The owner of 220 thinks that previous trespassers moved to and from water sources inside. Perhaps Arbery - an avid jogger - did the same. But nothing was ever stolen or damaged.
But Arbery walks around inside for 4 minutes, walks out, and then runs off along Satilla Drive, passing the home of Travis McMichael. His father, Gregory, sees Arbery. They grab their guns, and at 13:10:33 pursue him in a white truck.
The video & 911 calls go dark for the next few minutes. But we know that Arbery runs up and down Burford Rd. and up and down Holmes Rd over the next 3-4 mins. Gregory McMichael told police and media interviews with William "Roddie" Bryan and his attorney fill in other details.
Next comes that awful video of Arbery's shooting, which we used because it offers important details. Travis is on the driver's side of the truck, holding his shotgun. Gregory is in the bed of the truck, with a .357 Magnum. He calls 911.
We know the 911 call & video are concurrent by matching their audio tracks.
Up top, the video clearly captures the 1st shotgun blast, and you faintly hear "Travis!"
On 911 below, the blast just about registers, but "Travis!" is loud and clear. The intervals align.
A second reason: In the video, Gregory McMichael drops the phone at this instant, after shouting "Travis!". From this point forward in the 911 audio, the dispatcher is trying to reach the caller again.
A third reason: the police failed to redact the line that the 911 call was made from Travis McMichael's cellphone, and it was directed via a nearby cell tower.
A fourth reason: At 13:17:31 in real time, a police siren is heard in the McMichael 911 call. This corresponds precisely with the moment that a police cruiser speeds past 219 Satilla to the crime scene. The first cruiser ambled by, but this driver was told shots fired, per report
*Warning: Distressing*
Going frame-by-frame, the video shows us that an unarmed Arbery - running toward two armed men - is debating where to go. He moves right, left, right, momentarily stalls, right again.
Ahmaud(R) moves toward Travis(L), who is holding a shotgun by the front of the truck. We can't see what happens, but we can see the rough position of the two men when the first shot is fired. Comparing with other shots & autopsy report, we believe it hits Ahmaud's central chest.
The @nytimes will keep reporting on this. Currently following new lead. Twitter DMs are open. My Signal number is in my profile for encrypted messages. Thanks also to @ajc who first published some of the videos that we later collected, allowing us to reconstruct the timeline.
You can follow @malachybrowne.
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