Ahmaud Arbery's mother 'strongly believes' man who filmed her son's killing was 'involved' in the crime
The mother of slain jogger Ahmaud Arbery has lashed out at the man who recorded footage of her son's killing, saying she wants those involved "prosecuted to the highest." In an interview with Dr. Phil scheduled to air on Friday, devastated mother Wanda Cooper says she believes three people were behind the killing of her son in Satilla Shores, Georgia, the Daily Mail reported. "This is your baby boy. And you've made it very clear you feel that he was hunted down, boxed in like an animal, and then shot to death," Dr. Phil says to Cooper. "What do you want to see happen to these men? What does justice look like to you?"
"I want all hands that were involved, to be prosecuted to the highest," the heartbroken mother says in response.
When Dr. Phil asks her if she thinks three people were involved in Ahmaud's death, she says "that is correct." William 'Roddie' Bryan, a neighbor of the father and son duo who shot Arbery to death, was pictured for the first time on Friday since the footage he recorded on his cellphone went viral on social media and sparked a nationwide protest. However, Bryan has since claimed innocence saying he was only a "witness" and not an accomplice to ex-cop Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son Travis McMichael, 34, who were caught in the video red-handed.
Nonetheless, Dr. Phil asked Cooper if she thinks Bryan was in on the killing. "I strongly believe that he was involved," she says. "I mean, he videoed it." Kevin Gough, the attorney representing Bryan, has insisted his client is "not a vigilante" and that he was not armed at the time of the killing. Bryan has echoed claims made by the McMichaels that there had been a series of crimes in the neighborhood in recent weeks. However, law enforcement has maintained there were no burglaries reported in the two months leading up to Arbery's death. Meanwhile, Gough has claimed the shooting simply "started happening in front of" his client and that he handed over the cellphone footage to cops "immediately" after the incident.
Last week, the McMichaels were arrested and charged with murder and aggravated assault for the death of Arbery, who would have reportedly turned 26 last Friday. Bryan could also face possible arrest for his part in the killing after he watched and shot the footage of the attack, Director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI) Vic Reynolds said on Friday. Speaking to Weekend Today, Gough said Bryan drove to the scene after he saw Arbery running across the neighborhood and being chased by the McMichaels in their pick up truck. "He was in his yard and this just starts happening in front of him," the attorney said. "He gets in his car and is trying to document that."
And when asked why Bryan followed and recorded the disturbing attack, Gough said that "he was trying to get [Arbery's] picture... because there had been a number of crimes in this neighborhood and he didn't recognize him and a vehicle that he did recognize was following him."