Roger Dale Nobles shoots Stephen Addison black motorcyclist dead during road rage encounter at Fayateville stoplight in possible hate crime.
North Carolina authorities are considering hate crime charges after a black motorcyclist was shot dead during a road rage encounter with a white man and his son.
Stephen Addison, 32, was allegedly shot and killed by truck driver Roger Dale Nobles Sr, 51, at a Fayetteville intersection Monday, according to WRAL.
Roger Dale Nobles Jr, the suspect’s son, had moments earlier gotten out of his father’s truck to argue with Addison at a stoplight, before his father pulled a shotgun from inside the driver’s seat and fired it at the victim, according to captured roadside footage (see below).
The bullet whizzed past Nobles Jr., who didn’t flinch or react, and struck Addison in the chest.
Nobles Jr. then got back into his father’s 1992 Chevy pick-up, and his father calmly waited until the light turned green to drive away from the Fayetteville intersection of Skibo and Cliffdale roads.
History of racial abuse
Nobles Sr. was arrested as soon as he arrived home after the incident, and admitted to gunning down the father of three and former veteran, and was charged with first-degree murder.
The man’s son was also taken into police custody and questioned after he appeared unsurprised by his father’s actions.
Cumberland County District Attorney Billy West said he was reviewing the evidence and considering additional charges, including possible hate crime counts.
‘If the evidence warrants that type of charge, it’s certainly something we would look at and pursue,’ West reportedly said.
A neighbor of the suspect told WRAL that Nobles had a history of aggressive behavior and had used racial slurs against her.
‘He done drove in my yard and took pictures of me on my porch. He’s shot his gun in the air telling me to turn my music down. I done been through hell with this man,’ Shahara Chance reportedly told WRAL.
The younger Nobles was not charged with a crime, but security experts say that it looked like the son anticipated the murder and played a role in it.
‘Where he’s actually standing in reference to, what we call in the military, a fatal funnel,’ Anthony Waddy, an analyst with SAV Consulting, told WRAL. ‘He’s clearly out of harm’s way.’
Suspect son unlikely to face charges
After the fatal shot was fired, Nobles Jr didn’t flinch or appear surprised, and didn’t try to help Addison, who was reportedly left to die in the street.
‘The most startling parts of the video are what did not happen,’ Waddy told the outlet.
‘Nobles Jr. looked down at Addison after he dropped to the ground, but did not turn to his father and did not appear surprised. Nobles Jr. also didn’t render any aid to Addison, who ended up dying from his injuries,’ the analyst continued.
A defense lawyer speculated that there was not enough evidence to charge the son with a crime, unless it came to light that he had agreed to help his father murder the victim.
‘You don’t have an obligation to report a criminal activity, even if you know the person who committed it,’ Daniel Meier told WRAL. ‘You can watch a crime occur right in front of you, and you don’t have to call the police or render medical aid.’
To be charged as an accessory to murder, Nobles Jr. would have needed to help dispose of evidence or cover up the killing.
What instigated road rage encounter?
Justin Cockrell, Addison’s best friend who served alongside him at the Fort Bragg army reserve base, said the victim was a ‘great, loving soul.’
‘[He was] a loving, caring guy for anybody. He stayed out the way [and] was never in anybody’s business,’ Cockrell told WRAL.
It was unclear what let to the fatal encounter, and the admitted killer did not reveal a motive, according to the report.
