BRUNSWICK, Ga. — One of the attorneys in the trial over the killing of Ahmaud Arbery is in hot water after making some controversial comments.
Attorney Kevin Gough asked the judge on Thursday to not allow any more Black pastors into the courtroom.
Channel 2′s Tony Thomas has been in Brunswick since the beginning of the trial, covering every new development.
He was there Friday as Gough backtracked on his comments.
“My apologies to anyone who may have been inadvertently affected,” Gough told the judge and the court. “I will follow up with a more specific motion on Monday.”
The words didn’t sit well with Arbery’s family or supporters.
“That wasn’t an apology man,” Arbery’s father, Marcus Arbery Sr. said.
“If you think that you’ve done something wrong, you don’t say I inadvertently may have offended somebody. You say I apologize for my inappropriate comments,” supporter Barbara Arnwine said.
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Even fellow defense attorneys had issue with Gough’s remarks.
“That statement was totally asinine, ridiculous,” Jason Sheffield said.
In court, jurors saw more videos from before and after the day Arbery was shot and killed.
The three defendants say they were chasing him to hold him for police, suspecting he was a burglar.
They claim the shooting was in self-defense. Prosecutors call it murder.
The bodycam video was recorded just days before the shooting, as police and neighbors, including defendants Greg and Travis McMichael, searched for a man, later identified as Arbery, seen walking through a construction site.
Later, a Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent walked jurors through a re-enactment of the chase given to him by defendant Roddie Bryan.
“This case is not about racism or racist motives. This is just a neighborhood and some people are trying to stop some crime in their neighborhood,” Sheffield said.
Due to those controversial comments in court, Thomas learned authorities are now expecting dozens of Black pastors and other activists to arrive in Brunswick next week as testimony continues.
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