Newly released police body cam footage has revealed new details that appear to contradict some previous statements made concerning the killing of Ahmaud Arbery.
The video shows William “Roddie” Bryan admitting he helped Travis and Greg McMichael kill Arbery by trapping him with his vehicle, according to Action News Jacksonville. Bryan and both McMichaels have been indicted on murder charges for the killing.
The statements made in the body cam footage contradict what Bryan has previously said publicly. In May, he reportedly told Action News in an interview that “I truthfully need to be cleared of this because I had nothing to do with it.” (RELATED: Breonna Taylor’s Boyfriend Receives $100,000 From Tyler Perry For Defense Fund)
NEW: William “Roddie” Bryan, one of three men charged with killing Ahmaud Arbery, admitted to police that he tried to “block” the unarmed Black man. (He once told reporters he had “nothing to do with it.”)https://t.co/eRaaxOHBKj
— Nelson Oliveira (@olivnelson) December 15, 2020
Bryan, who recorded the shooting with his cell phone, is asked by officers in the body cam footage if he’s a passerby to the situation. “No, not necessarily,” he responds.
Bryan describes to officers his attempts to help the McMichaels pursue Arbery. “I pulled out of my driveway, was going to try to block him. But he was going all around. I made a few moves at him, you know.” (RELATED: FBI Agent Reportedly Involved In Shooting On Train Near National Institutes Of Health, Walter Reed Hospital)
The three men claim Arbery was the culprit in a series of recent break-ins in the neighborhood, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. They pursued Arbery, who prosecutors say was simply jogging, before a physical struggle occurred which resulted in Travis McMichael shooting and killing the 25-year-old black man.
Greg McMichael, Travis’ father, says in the footage “if I could’ve shot the guy I would’ve shot him myself.” The three men were denied bond in November.