A white North Carolina motorist shot dead a black motorcyclist during a road rage attack with his son in what is being seen by police as an incident of hate crime. North Carolina police is now weighing whether to charge the man with hate crime. Motorcyclist Stephen Addison, 32, was allegedly killed by truck driver Roger Dale Nobles, 51, in a Fayetteville confrontation Monday, according to WRAL.
According to police, the shooter's son, Roger Dale Nobles Jr, was having an argument with Addison at an interaction when the father sitting in his car fired a bullet. The bullet hit Addison in the chest and he immediately collapsed.
Cold-Blooded Murder
The horrifying murder, which was caught on camera, shows the father and son duo leaving in the vehicle after shooting dead Addison. A military veteran and father-of-three, Adison got engaged into an argument with Nobles Jr., which was captured on camera.
The father was still sitting in his truck at the intersection when all off a sudden he pulled a shotgun and fired it at Addison, according to footage of the incident obtained by WRAL.
The bullet whizzed past Nobles Jr., who didn't flinch or react, and struck Addison in the chest and he collapsed on the ground. Nobles Jr. then got back into his father's 1992 Chevy pick-up, waited till the traffic lights turned green and then drove away. The tragic incident happened at the Fayetteville intersection of Skibo and Cliffdale roads, according to WRAL.
Nobles Sr. was arrested almost immediately after he reached home. He admitted to gunning down the father of three, and was charged with first-degree murder, the outlet reported.
Hate Crime
Nobles Sr. has now been charged with first-degree murder. His 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, in connection with the broad daylight ambush.
"If the evidence warrants that type of charge, it's certainly something we would look at and pursue," West reportedly said.
He may also be slapped with hate crime charges and police is weighing his crime charges. A neighbor claimed that Nobles Sr. had a history of racial abuse, allegedly calling her the n-word and putting her "through hell."
"He done drove in my yard and took pictures of me on my porch," said neighbor Shahara Chance.
"He's shot his gun in the air telling me to turn my music down. I done been through hell with this man," she said, adding that he had harassed her for years.
It seems Nobles Jr. is also a lot like his father. In the footage of the shooting, Nobles Jr. doesn't flinch after his father pulls the trigger.
Security analysts who reviewed the video said his reaction, along with his stance in relation to his father's car window, indicate that he anticipated that his father was going to shoot Addison.
Nobles Jr. has yet to be charged in the incident, although he was initially taken into custody by police.
