Man who took video of Ahmaud Arbery shooting charged with felony murder

Protesters share their support for Ahmaud Arbery.
(Image credit: Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

William Bryan, the man who recorded the deadly shooting of Ahmaud Arbery on Feb. 23, was arrested Thursday and charged with felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said.

Arbery, an unarmed 25-year-old black man, was shot and killed while jogging through a Glynn County neighborhood. Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son, Travis McMichael, 34, were arrested earlier this month after the footage Bryan shot was posted online. The McMichaels pursued Arbery in a pickup truck, and then confronted him with "two firearms," the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said. "During the encounter, Travis McMichael shot and killed Arbery." Gregory McMichael claimed during a police interview that they believed Arbery was responsible for burglaries in the neighborhood.

Gregory McMichael is a retired investigator for Glynn County, and an earlier prosecutor advised no charges be filed in the case. Protesters took to the streets and social media, lambasting the decision and accusing law enforcement of covering for McMichael because of his former job.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.