William 'Roddie' Bryan Jr., the man who recorded the deadly encounter between Ahmaud and the McMichaels, has been charged with murder in relation to the shooting.
- May 22, 2020
AceShowbiz - A third man has been arrested in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced on Thursday, May 21 that William "Roddie" Bryan Jr., who recorded the deadly encounter between Ahmaud and the McMichaels, was arrested on charges of felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment. He will be booked into the Glynn County Jail.
Ahmaud's family rejoices over the news. In a statement, the family's attorneys S. Lee Merritt, Benjamin Crump and L. Chris Stewart say, "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 lawyers add that the family is relieved and "thankful for the diligence of the GBI and the way in which they tirelessly pursued the evidence in this case."
Roddie's lawyer Kevin Gough previously maintained his client's innocence and claimed he was just only a witness to the shooting. Kevin said Roddie was in his yard when he saw Ahmaud running, followed by a white pickup truck with the McMichaels in it. Roddie followed them because he wanted a photo of Ahmaud, he said.
"There had been a number of crimes in the neighborhood, and he didn't recognize him, and a vehicle that he did recognize was following him," Kevin added.
Meanwhile, in police report of the shooting, Gregory McMichael told an officer that at one point Ahmaud "began running back the direction from which he came and 'Roddie' attempted to block him which was unsuccessful."
Gregory and his son Travis McMichael were previously arrested for the murder of Ahmaud, 25, in Glynn County, Georgia. He was jogging in a neighborhood near Brunswick when the McMichaels pursued and confronted him after seeing him at a neighbor's under-construction home. They told police that they suspected him in a rash of break-ins. However, the owner of the unfinished home said, "I've never had a police report [on my property], or anything stolen from my property, or any kind of robbery."
