Jump directly to the content

THE mugshot of the man who filmed Ahmaud Arbery getting shot in Georgia earlier this year shows him after he was arrested on Thursday.

William "Roddie” Bryan Jr, 50, was booked on charges of felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment for filming the now-viral video in February.

 William 'Roddie' Bryan Jr, 50, is pictured here in his mugshot after he was arrested on Thursday in Ahmaud Arbery's death
6
William 'Roddie' Bryan Jr, 50, is pictured here in his mugshot after he was arrested on Thursday in Ahmaud Arbery's deathCredit: Reuters

Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son, Travis McMichael, 34, were charged earlier this month felony murder and aggravated assault in Arbery’s shooting death.

Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) Director Vic Reynolds said on Friday that Bryan was not just a “witness” to Arbery’s death.

“If he was a witness we wouldn't have arrested him,” Reynolds told reporters during a news conference.

“We believe his underlying felony helped cause the death of Ahmaud Arbery,' the director said, adding the GBI is “confident [prosecutors] will be able to prove that.”

 Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Vic Reynolds said on Friday that if Bryan was just a 'witness' in Arbery's death, then they 'wouldn’t have arrested him'
6
Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Vic Reynolds said on Friday that if Bryan was just a 'witness' in Arbery's death, then they 'wouldn’t have arrested him'Credit: EPA

Reynolds said the GBI has found more video footage of the shooting, which will be used when the case goes to trial.

Bryan’s attorney, Kevin Hough, told WXIA-TV that Bryan took a lie detector test on Tuesday.

He said the test is not considered admissible in court, but shows that Bryan was unarmed during the shooting of Arbery on February 23.

The lie detector test also reportedly shows Bryan didn’t talk to the McMichaels, his neighbors, before that day and “was not privy to any plan to take a life.”

 Arbery, 25, was shot dead in Brunswick, Georgia, on February 23
6
Arbery, 25, was shot dead in Brunswick, Georgia, on February 23Credit: Alamy Live News

Gough described Bryan as a witness, not a “vigilante.”

Arbery, 25, was jogging in the Satilla Shores neighborhood of Brunswick, Georgia, earlier this year when he was chased for four minutes and shot down.

No arrests were made until May 7, after the video was widely shared on social media, pushing it into the national spotlight and prompting widespread outrage.

Gregory McMichael, an ex-cop, leaked the video himself, hoping it would exonerate him and his son.

 Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son Travis, 34, were charged with felony murder and aggravated assault after their arrests on May 7
6
Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son Travis, 34, were charged with felony murder and aggravated assault after their arrests on May 7Credit: AP:Associated Press

A friend of the McMichaels, Alan Tucker, previously said he was the one who leaked the video that showed what happened because he was trying "to stop a riot."

Tucker told Inside Edition he released the video, which was taken by another friend, William Bryan, who was following in his own car to film what was happening.

"Well, you saw what happened to Baltimore, you've seen what happened to Charleston, you saw what happened to Ferguson. I was trying to stop a riot,” he said.

The investigation led by local authorities had seemed to be stalled and, amid the national uproar, a prosecutor specially appointed last month asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to get involved.

 Bryan took cellphone footage of the shooting that happened earlier this year
6
Bryan took cellphone footage of the shooting that happened earlier this yearCredit: AP:Associated Press
 The footage caused national outcry as people started to question whether the shooting was racially motivated
6
The footage caused national outcry as people started to question whether the shooting was racially motivatedCredit: AP:Associated Press

The McMichaels had told police they pursued Arbery after spotting him running in their neighborhood, according to the initial police report.

They said they thought Arbery matched the description of someone caught on a security camera committing recent break-ins in the area.

Gregory McMichael had previously worked as a police officer with Glynn County and retired from working as an investigator with Brunswick district attorney's office in 2019.

The shooting has fueled fierce debate over the 25-year-old's death, leading people to claim the act was racially motivated.

Arbery’s family said in a statement they were “relieved” to learn of Bryan’s arrest on Thursday.

“We want anyone who participated in the murder of Mr Arbery to be held accountable."

Horrifying moment two white gunmen 'shoot black jogger dead' in broad daylight 'as they hunted burglar'
Topics