Amid the continued pursuit for justice for the killing Ahmaud Arbery, another person was arrested for his supposed connection to the murder, Thursday.
The man in question, William Bryan, was the one who filmed the chase and shooting of the 25-year-old black victim in the hands of two white men.
According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, 50-year-old Bryan was nabbed and was charged with criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment and felony murder. While Travis McMichael, 34, and Gregory McMichael, 64, the white men who were filmed assaulting Arbery, were previously arrested and were both charged with aggravated assault and murder.
In what is viewed by the masses as a case of racist murder, Bryan, who is also a white man filmed the altercation between Arbery and the McMichaels on February 23. In the footage, Arbery was seen running in the neighborhood in Satilla Shores as the two white men pursued him and later on killed him.
In a report by the New York Times, for more than two months since the murder, no one was arrested nor any criminal charges were filed. However, the video that Bryan filmed which was posted on the internet this month led to the arrest of the McMichaels on the 7 of May.
While the video he uploaded was credited by many as to why the father and son were finally taken into police custody and charged, it also made Bryan a subject of the investigation.
However, activists were quick to defend Bryan and said that he was only a bystander during the incident and that without his video there would be no concrete proof incriminating the McMichaels.
The McMichaels were arrested despite the contention during the early stages of the case that they were only acting on self-defense and citizens' arrest, thus their actions are not supposed to be viewed as criminal offenses.
On Thursday, the victim's family released a statement through their lawyer that they were thankful for the steps that have been taken in giving justice to Arbery's death.
Moreover, they stated that Byran's involvement in Arbery's murder has been very apparent to them since the beginning and that they were relieved that the GBI has finally seen the connection as well.
Lee Merritt, an attorney that was hired by the victim's mother, called Bryan a liar stating that Bryan's story has changed several times since the murder. Moreover, the attorney noted that if Bryan was indeed a good Samaritan, he would have at least honked his horn in an attempt to help the victim. It was also worth noting that during the murder, the video taken by Bryan made it seem like he did not even flinch while Arbery was being assaulted.
Based on the statement that was released by the GBI, Bryan is currently being detained in Glynn County Jail, the same place were the McMichaels are currently being held while awaiting their bond hearing.
It was also noted that long before the video he took emerged online, Bryan has already been considered in his possible participation in the murder of Arbery.
