Investigators have reported that William “Roddie” Bryan was more than a witness when he reported the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery back in February.
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In a report by Yahoo! News, officials state that Bryan has contributed to Arbery’s death by attempting to “confine and detain” him with his vehicle. Along with charging Bryan with murder, the GBI said in a statement that Bryan was also charged with criminal attempt to commit false imprisoner for his part in Arbery’s death. Vic Reynolds, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said during a press conference Friday that an arrest would not have been made if they believed he was a witness.
“If we believed he was a witness, we wouldn’t have arrested him,”
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Before his arrest, Bryan has attempted to prove he was a sole witness in the case and said he has been receiving death threats since he submitted the tap. His lawyer, Kevin Gough, said on Friday that the “political winds” of his client’s testimony has changed but he won’t rush to judge.
“It feels like the only thing that has changed is the changing political winds. But we will not rush to judgment.”