New body cam footage shows moments after Ahmaud Arbery shooting
William “Roddie” Bryan admitted on camera that he used his truck to block Arbery as he was chased by the McMichaels.
New body cam footage of the moments following Ahmaud Arbery’s killing has been released to the public.
In the footage, which was obtained from Glynn County police by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Travis McMichael can be seen splattered with blood and pacing next to Arbery’s body, who he had shot and killed just moments before.
Back in February, Travis and his father, Gregory McMichael, had chased Arbery through a Georgia neighborhood after suspecting he was involved in a series of break-ins in the area. “Last thing I ever wanted to do in my life,” Travis told an officer. “If he had stopped this wouldn’t have happened.”
“I said, ‘Travis, don’t shoot, don’t do anything,’” Gregory told police. “The guy turns and comes at him and they start wrestling and Travis shoots him right in the damn chest… The guy was trying to take the shotgun away from him.”
The most damning part of the video footage was William “Roddie” Bryan’s admission to using his truck to block Arbery in as the McMichaels chased him. He previously told authorities that he had nothing to do with his death and was simply a witness.
“I must’ve passed him because I pulled out of my driveway, was going to try to block him, but he was going all around,” Bryan said, adding that he “made a few moves” at Arbery. He reportedly hit the victim with his vehicle and investigators found a dent in his car that contained fibers that matched Arbery’s shirt and his handprints.
On Tuesday (Dec. 15), Attorney Ben Crump, who represents Arbery’s family, released a statement about the video, which he described as a “modern-day lynching.”
“…this newly released body camera footage confirms what we had long suspected about William ‘Roddie’ Bryan. The footage clearly documents that Bryan used his truck to block Ahmaud from escaping the McMichaels. With the murderous teamwork of Bryan and the McMichaels exposed for the world to see, we are confident that this will bring us one step closer to justice for the Arbery family.”
Bryan’s bond was denied over the summer. Last month, the McMichaels were also denied bond for the killing. Judge Timothy Walmsley said they had no way of knowing if Arbery was involved in any illegal activity or not. “And that somehow resulted in individuals thinking it was appropriate to block that individual’s path of travel, shoulder a firearm in order to get him to stop,” the judge said. All three men are charged with felony murder.