Police body camera footage taken immediately following the shooting of Ahmaud Arbery shows William Bryan, who is charged with felony murder over the incident, telling police he tried to “block” Arbery.
On Feb. 23, Bryan recorded footage of Arbery’s death that, after it was made public, set off public outcry and protests over the shooting. The footage shows Travis and Gregory McMichael, each charged with murder and aggravated assault, confronting Arbery. The video goes on to show Travis and Arbery grappling over a shotgun carried by Travis, three gunshots, and Arbery collapsing on the ground.
The newly released bodycam footage shows a police officer interviewing Bryan at the scene of the shooting. Bryan has maintained his innocence, that he was not involved in the shooting, and said in a May interview that “I had nothing to do with it.”
“I’m trying to get my life back to normal, and it’s been smeared for the last week,” Bryan said at the time. “I was told I was a witness and I’m not sure what I am, other than receiving a bunch of threats.”
The police body camera footage, obtained by CBS-affiliate Action News Jax on Monday, shows Bryan telling a police officer that he was “not necessarily” a passerby. Bryan goes on to tell the officer that he attempted to “block” Arbery after seeing the McMichaels chasing him.
“When I see him, I knew – hate that people were getting broken into out here, you know – so I hollered at them and said, ‘Y’all got him?’ And he just kept running. He was full blown running,” Bryan tells the officer. “They got down to the end down there somewhere, must’ve passed him. Because I pulled out of my driveway, was going to try to block him. He was going all around it, and I made a few moves at him, you know. And he didn’t stop,” he adds.
During the May interview, Bryan’s attorney, Kevin Gough, blocked some questions related to Bryan’s exact involvement in the shooting and why he began recording the incident. Gough said: “My client was responding to what he saw, which was someone in the community he didn’t know being followed by a vehicle he recognized. Without going into details about the level of crime in this community in this subdivision, I think most people in this subdivision were aware that there were issues.”
Attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Arbery’s family, said that the police bodycam footage shows Bryan’s “murderous teamwork” with the McMichaels.
“After publicly absolving himself of having any part in Ahmaud Arbery’s modern-day lynching, this newly released body camera footage confirms what we had long suspected about William ‘Roddie’ Bryan,” Crump said in a statement, according to the New York Post.
“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,” he added.