Man Who Filmed Arbery Video Arrested

From the Georgia Recorder: By Stanley Dunlap - May 21, 2020

The GBI arrested William "Roddie" Bryan Thursday on a murder charge for the Feb. 23 shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery in Glynn County. Bryan filmed the video of the shooting that went viral, sparking national attention on the case. Screen grab from ABC News

The man who filmed the video of the Ahmaud Arbery shooting is now charged with murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced Thursday the arrest of William “Roddie” Bryan Jr., 50, the man whose viral video sparked a national outcry when it became public in early May, more than two months after Arbery’s death. The GBI, however, is releasing few details about Bryan’s role and the reason for his arrest two weeks after Director Vic Reynolds announced murder charges against two white men in the slaying of the unarmed black jogger.

Bryan, who is also white, now joins Travis McMichael, 34, and Greg McMichael, 64, in the Glynn County jail for the Feb. 23 shooting of Arbery. Bryan has said he did not coordinate with the McMichaels and he is innocent.

The McMichaels say they chased and confronted Arbery because they thought he committed burglaries in the Satilla Shores neighborhood outside Brunswick.

Following the McMichaels May 7 arrests, Arbery family attorneys and civil rights groups called for authorities to also hold Bryan responsible for joining the pursuit that led to Arbery’s death.

In Bryan’s viral video, Arbery is shown running down Satilla Drive when he comes upon a white pickup truck, where Travis McMichael waited with a shotgun and his father Greg stood in the truck bed wielding a handgun.

Arbery struggles with Travis McMichael, then staggers and falls after being shot before the video cuts out.

Bryan’s attorney, Kevin Gough, has said Bryan did not have any conversation with the McMichaels on Feb. 23 leading up to the shooting.

On Monday, Gough pleaded for Arbery’s attorneys to stop calling for Bryan’s arrest as his client and some family members are getting threats. He described Bryan as the “star witness” in the case.

“Whether you realize it or not, y’all have put a target on his back,” Gough said. “He is unarmed and defenseless. A sitting duck.”

Arbery family attorney Lee Merritt harshly criticized Gough for describing Bryan as defenseless.

“(Gough) tried to make his client the victim,” attorney Lee Merritt said at a Tuesday press conference. “It boggles the mind how he was able to make the jump to say that his client was unarmed and afraid.”

During an interview that aired on ABC’s Good Morning America on May 12, Bryan declined to say what prompted him to join the chase and record it.

“If the video wasn’t there, I don’t think there would be an outcome that anybody would be satisfied with,” he said. “I’m not proud that I shot that video, but maybe it helps.”

Brunswick attorney and friend of the McMichaels, Alan David Tucker says Greg McMichael released the video to a local radio station because he thought it would prove his innocence and dispel some of the racial tension in the community.

The attorneys for the McMichaels say the portrayal of their clients as two white men out for racially-charged vigilante justice is inaccurate.

This story was originally published by the Georgia Recorder. For more stories from the Georgia Recorder, visit GeorgiaRecorder.com.