The man who recorded the fatal shooting of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery has been arrested and charged with murder, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
50-year-old William “Roddie” Bryan Jr. was on Thursday jailed on felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment. He was booked into the Glynn County Jail.
The GBI said that the charges stem from Arbery’s killing on Feb. 23.
S. Lee Merritt, Benjamin Crump and L. Chris Stewart, the attorneys for Arbery’s parents, released the following statement on behalf of the family:
“The family of Ahmaud Arbery was relieved to learn that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has today taken William ‘Roddie’ Bryan into custody. 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 family of Mr. Arbery is thankful for the diligence of the GBI and they way in which they tirelessly pursued the evidence in this case. We want anyone who participated in the murder of Mr. Arbery to be held accountable.”
Ahmaud Arbery was killed by two white men while he was jogging down a road in Georgia.
Travis McMichael and his father Greg McMichael have been arrested charged in connection with the shooting.
In the video, Arbery was seen jogging in Georgia when he was stopped by McMichael and his father in a white pickup truck. McMichael was armed with a shotgun. Arbery ran around the truck trying to avoid a confrontation before he and McMichael started struggling.
After three gunshots, the men continued struggling over the gun, until Arbery stumbled away, and then collapsed to the ground. He was later pronounced dead.
An autopsy of Ahmaud Arbery conducted the day after his death revealed he died from three shotgun wounds, two of them to the chest.