SOUTH FULTON, Ga. — More than three years after someone shot and killed a well- known photographer, his family is finally getting answers about what happened the night of the shooting.
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Family and friends of Bryan Brown showed up at the Fulton County Courthouse to see the man suspected of killing him, Mamadi Sylla. However, the hearing was postponed.
The family says they aren’t disappointed they didn’t get to see Sylla. They say it’s more important that he is off the streets.
“Well, I wanted to look at him in his eyes, but I’m a patient guy,” Philippe Bertrand, Brown’s husband, told Channel 2’s Tom Jones.
Bertrand says while he wanted to see Sylla in court, he gained something more important after speaking to prosecutors.
“We got clarity about the defendant and what happened,” Bertrand said.
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City of South Fulton police say it was three years ago when someone shot and killed Brown as he sat in his car at a bank on Old Bill Cook Road. A bullet hole could be seen in the driver’s side window of Brown’s car.
Police shared a photo they say shows the shooter running from the scene.
For more than three years, the killer remained free.
Bertrand says he started his own investigation and he says he identified a suspect and forwarded a name to police.
“I called every other day for three years and eight months. And they told me he was a suspect,” Bertrand said.
Police arrested Sylla in September, more than three years after the shooting.
Bertrand says he learned Brown was shot during a robbery and the killer stole his phone.
“He tried to erase evidence from his phone, and he shot him in the head,” Bertrand explained.
Bertrand says it’s so important that those who loved Bryan get justice in this case.
“You killed a human being. You’re an animal. God gives life. You don’t take it,” Bertrand said.
Sylla faces murder, aggravated assault, armed robbery and other charges. He’s being held without bond.
It wasn’t clear in court if he has an attorney yet. His family asked if Jones was his public defender after court. When he told them he was with the media, they walked away.
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