According to multiple outlets, William “Roddie” Bryan, Jr., the man responsible for capturing the brutal murder of Ahmaud Arbery on video, has been arrested in connection to his killing. On Thursday, the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI) released a statement on Twitter saying the 50-year-old is facing counts of felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment.
“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,” attorneys S. Lee Merritt, Benjamin Crump and L. Chris Stewart said in a statement shared with ABC News.
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Since Arbery’s tragic death, his mother, Wanda Cooper Jones, and, subsequently, family attorneys and concerned citizens have been adamant about bringing all the men responsible for Arbery’s murder to justice. On May 7, the GBI arrested Travis and Gregory McMichael after the leaked footage sparked national outrage. “It adds an evil element,” Merritt said of the video as it pertains to the case that was opened on February 23.
In a Facebook Live interview with ESSENCE the evening the two men were taken into custody, Merritt also told Executive Digital Producer Kirsten Savali West that “justice looks like all of the men involved in this murder going to jail for a significant amount of time.”
Bryan’s arrest is just the latest update in the case that has received national attention. On May 11, ESSENCE reported that District Attorney Joyette Hayes had been appointed to lead the prosecution of the McMichaels and that the FBI was looking into investigating the handling of the case by the former district attorneys who were assigned to it.
This week, Lindsay McMichael, the daughter and sister to the men responsible for Arbery’s death, exhibited the casual nature used to approach his lynching. After the discovery that she had posted Arbery’s lifeless body to Snapchat, she claimed her motivation to do so was because she’s a “true crime fan.”
The family attorneys say that Arbery’s loved ones are “thankful for the diligence of the GBI and the way in which they tirelessly pursued the evidence in this case.” They reiterated, “We want anyone who participated in the murder of Mr. Arbery to be held accountable.”
