Ahmaud Arbery's Mother: I Didn't Imagine His Death 'Would Be That Harsh'

Ahmaud Arbery's mother told reporters this week that she was heartbroken after hearing the details of her son’s death during a preliminary hearing on Thursday, CNN reports.

"I often imagine the last minutes of my son's life," Wanda Cooper said after the hearing. "I didn't imagine it would be that harsh."

Arbery was killed in Satilla Shores, Georgia, after multiple men chased him down when he was seen jogging in the neighborhood. Those three men, Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael, and William "Roddie" Bryan, will all stand trial for Arbery’s death.

At the hearing on Thursday, Georgia Bureau of Investigation Assistant Special Agent in Charge Richard Dial testified that Arbery was hit with a truck as he ran from his pursuers before he tried to fight one of them, who shot him three times. Dial also testified that Bryan told police that the shooter, McMichael, referred to Arbery with a racial slur after shooting him.

"At this point, I'm really speechless because ... it's hard to know that he had to go through that after he had ran. He actually ran for his life. Then when he couldn't run anymore, he had to fight, and then after he fought, he was killed," Cooper said.

"I'm hoping that the death of my son, also of Mr. [George] Floyd, that their deaths will implement change," Cooper added. "We need change. So no other African American male will lose their life in such a manner."

• Testimony: Shooter Used Racist Slur as Arbery Lay Dying
• Report: Feds to Investigate Ahmaud Arbery Case as Hate Crime