William ‘Roddie’ Bryan Jr., the man who filmed the killing of a black man, Ahmaud Arbery, in February, has been arrested and charged with felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation released the following statement:
“On May 21, 2020, the GBI arrested William ‘Roddie’ Bryan Jr., age 50, on charges of Felony Murder & Criminal Attempt to Commit False Imprisonment. These charges stem from the February 23, 2020, incident that resulted in the death of Ahmaud Arbery. He will be booked into the Glynn County Jail.
“This case is being investigated in partnership with District Attorney Joyette Holmes of the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office.”
An initial police report stated that Bryan had unsuccessfully tried to block Arbery, who was taking a jog in the neighborhood when he was confronted.
A leaked 28-second video showed Arbery jogging as Travis McMichael, 34, stood outside of his white pickup truck carrying a loaded shotgun. Gregory McMichael, 64, a former police officer, was positioned in the truck’s open flatbed trunk holding a .357 magnum handgun according to ABC News.
“We called for his arrest from the very beginning of this process. His involvement in the murder of Mr. Arbery was obvious to us, to many around the country, and after their thorough investigation, it was clear to the GBI as well,” the attorneys for the Arbery family, S. Lee Merritt, Benjamin Crump, and L. Chris Stewart, said in a statement.
“The family of Mr. Arbery is thankful for the diligence of the GBI and the way in which they tirelessly pursued the evidence in this case,” they added. “We want anyone who participated in the murder of Mr. Arbery to be held accountable.”
Earlier this week, Bryan’s lawyer, Kevin Gough, pleaded with authorities to not arrest his client. He said Bryan was receiving death threats due to the release of the video and was in hiding.
“Without his video there would be no case,” Gough said on Monday.
“Ya’ll have put a target on his back,” he told the media.