More than a week after their friend Brian Williams was hit by a car, Ken Whitting and John Wright are still struggling to make sense of it.
"I’m the guy his son came to see, or wanted to defend his father. I was that guy — not Brian. So for him to be lying in the hospital, in the condition he’s in… it’s taken a big toll on me,” said Whitting.
On May 3, the group had just finished refereeing their regular Sunday flag football games when police say 19‑year‑old Timothy Ruble confronted those who’d argued with his father. Moments later, they say, Ruble ran Williams over with his car.
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"Brian wasn't on that field that day. He was on a different field. That really had nothing to do with him; he was like an innocent bystander,” said Wright.
Redacted body camera footage shows Williams unconscious in the middle of a field after the hit, and Ruble being taken into custody.
"When they showed the video of him smirking and laughing like that didn't sit well with me,” said Wright.
On Thursday, a grand jury indicted Ruble on attempted murder, two counts of felonious assault, and tampering with evidence. Williams’ friends were glad to see the more serious charge added, but still want the maximum sentence.
"Whatever the maximum. How do you say throw the book out?” said Whitting.
"Because it was deliberate. It wasn't like he was on running from the car or going at him,” said Wright.
Body camera footage also captured Ruble’s explanation:
"The dude I ran over, he did go to the gun, he might, I don’t know what he did with it. His friends may have took it off him or something,” said Ruble on the body cam.
Whitting and Wright reject that claim.
“There was no guns, no weapons at all,” said Whitting.
"It was like just to turn that narrative, to try to get people out here to think that something happened that didn't,” said Wright.
Police confirm there were no weapons found. Williams remains in critical condition. Wright and Whitting say Williams is still in critical condition.
"We not going to stop fighting. We're not going to give up. We're going to we're going to take this as far as we can take it. We out here for Brian right now,” said Wright.
