Man who filmed Ahmaud Arbery killing hit him with truck before shooting, investigator says

This booking photo provided by the Glynn County Sheriff’s Office shows William “Roddie” Bryan Jr., who was jailed Thursday, May 21, 2020, in Brunswick, Ga., on charges of felony murder and attempted false imprisonment. Bryan is the third person charged in the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery on Feb. 23, when a white father and son armed themselves and pursued Arbery after seeing him running in their neighborhood. (Glynn County Sheriff’s Office via AP) (AP)

The suspect whose cellphone video captured the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery not only helped ambush the unarmed young man, he also hit the victim with his truck during the February pursuit, a Georgia investigator testified Thursday.

William “Roddie” Bryan, one of three white defendants charged with murdering the 25-year-old black man, struck the victim with the side of his vehicle moments before Arbery was killed, special agent Richard Dial claimed during the first major hearing in the case.

The testimony contradicts Bryan’s claim that he was merely a witness when father and son Gregory and Travis McMichael chased down and shot Arbery who was jogging in a rural neighborhood outside Brunswick.

“I truthfully need to be cleared of this because I have nothing to do with it,” Bryan told The Associated Press last month.

The 50-year-old suspect has been charged with murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment. He was arrested days after state investigators charged the McMichaels with felony murder and aggravated assault in a case that has shocked the country and helped fuel the ongoing nationwide protests against systemic racism and police brutality.

Arbery, who lived just over 2 miles from the crime scene, has been described as an avid runner and appeared to be jogging at the time of the shooting.

Dial told the Glynn County court on Thursday that investigators who examined Bryan’s pickup truck after the Feb. 23 incident found a dent, fibers from Arbery’s white shirt and handprints.

The victim managed to escape and change direction before Bryan and the McMichaels blocked him again minutes later. Bryan’s viral video shows the younger McMichael fatally shooting Arbery during a struggle over the shooter’s weapon.

The suspects told police they suspected Arbery was behind a series of burglaries in the area and decided to confront him that day. The victim had been seen on surveillance video wandering around a home under construction, but there’s no evidence that he ever stole anything from the property, prosecutors have said.

“If there wasn’t a tape, we wouldn’t know what happened,” Bryan told CNN last month. “I hope that in the end, it brings justice to the family, and peace to the family.”

In a jailhouse phone call last month, Gregory McMichael described Bryan as “an ally,” according to Dial’s testimony.