William Bryan
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William "Roddie" Bryan (born August 19, 1969) is a mechanic from Georgia, USA, who participated in the murder of unarmed African-American jogger Ahmaud Arbery on February 23, 2020. Bryan and his neighbours Gregory and Travis McMichael pursued Arbery, who they suspected of burglary, until Travis McMichael caught up and shot Arbery dead. The murder has been described by many sources as a "hate crime".
The Arbery case gained international attention due to video of the shooting taken by William Bryan during the chase. It was one of several 2020 cases that kick-started the Black Lives Matter movement in America and worldwide, including the killing of George Floyd by Derek Chauvin and the shooting of Daunte Wright by Kimberly Potter.
Biography edit
Bryan, born in 1969, was a neighbour of father and son Gregory and Travis McMichael in Satilla Shores, Georgia. He worked as a mechanic at a hardware store in Brunswick.
Murder of Ahmaud Arbery edit
On February 23, 2020, Greg McMichael saw jogger Ahmaud Arbery running past him after leaving his under-construction house and, believing he was an African-American suspect who had previously broken into the site, grabbed a gun and chased after him intending to make a citizen's arrest. He was joined in his pursuit by his son Travis, armed with a shotgun, and William Bryan, who drove after Arbery in his pickup truck. Evidence later showed that Bryan had run his truck into Arbery during the pursuit; his palm print was found on the door and fibres on the truck bed had come from Arbery's clothes.
The end of the pursuit was recorded by William Bryan on his phone. The video shows Arbery running down the neighbourhood road when he is cut off by the McMichael's pickup truck and Bryan's truck stops behind him, boxing him in. Arbery runs around the truck and is pursued by Travis McMichael, armed with a shotgun, and Greg McMichael, armed with a handgun. At this point the camera's view is partially blocked by the McMichael's truck, but Arbery and Travis McMichael are seen to fight and a gunshot is heard (whether it was fired before or after the struggle is unclear). The two of them then disappear offscreen and a second shot is heard. When they reappear, Arbery throws a right-handed punch at McMichael's head and McMichael fires a shot point-blank, hitting him in the chest. McMichael walks away as Arbery staggers back and collapses, leaving him bleeding to death in the road. He was pronounced dead by police responding to Greg McMichael's 911 call.
Aftermath edit
Arbery's autopsy ruled his death a homicide. During the investigation, Bryan released his video of the shooting to the media at the advice of Greg McMichael in the hope that this would exonerate them. This only led to national outrage after the video went viral.
On May 21, Bryan was arrested and charged with felony murder, malice murder, felony assault (both with a pickup truck and with a firearm) and attempt to commit false imprisonment, on the grounds that his participation in the pursuit made him liable for Arbery's death. The McMichaels had been arrested on the same charges earlier that month. After his arrest, Bryan claimed that Travis McMichael had called Arbery a "fucking nigger" after shooting him.
Trial edit
The trial of the McMichaels and Bryan began on November 5, 2021. Bryan's lawyer Kevin Gough argued that Bryan had not pursued Arbery with any intent of harming him, noting that unlike the McMichaels he had not brought a firearm. Evidence introduced during the trial included Bryan's video of the shooting and testimony from multiple police officers who had interviewed Bryan, who stated that he had told them he did not know why Arbery was being chased but had still attempted to cut him off multiple times. Bryan claimed that Arbery had attempted to open his truck door during the chase in an attempt to explain the evidence of contact between him and the truck. Bryan did not testify in his defence, citing his right to remain silent.
Prosecutor Linda Dunikoski delivered her closing argument on November 22, arguing that the defendants did not have any immediate knowledge that Arbery had committed a crime, making their pursuit of him illegal, and that Travis McMichael was not defending himself as Arbery had only lashed out after being cornered and threatened with a shotgun. Kevin Gough delivered his closing argument the following day, reiterating his argument that Bryan could not have known that the McMichaels were going to shoot Arbery. On rebuttal, Dunikoski pointed out that Bryan had committed felonies during the pursuit by attempting to knock Arbery down and box him in, and that the pursuit itself was illegal, and therefore Bryan was still guilty.
The jury announced its verdict on November 25 after deliberating for two days. Bryan was found guilty of felony murder, attempted false imprisonment and felony assault with a pickup truck but not guilty of malice murder and assault with a firearm. The McMichaels were found guilty on all counts. Bryan was sentenced to life imprisonment with a chance of parole in 30 years. All three were later also tried for Federal hate crimes and attempted kidnapping, with witnesses testifying that Bryan was a known racist who had referred to his daughter's black boyfriend as a monkey and complained about "working so all the niggers can take off" on Martin Luther King Day. All three men were found guilty, and Bryan was sentenced to 35 years in prison.