A white North Carolina man is facing first-degree murder charges after fatally shooting a Black motorcyclist on Monday (January 3) during a road rage attack.
According to police, Roger Nobles Sr. fired a shotgun from the driver's seat of his pickup truck, killing 32-year-old father of three Stephen Addison who was arguing with Nobles' son on the passenger's side of the pickup at an intersection in Fayetteville.
Bystanders video shows that after the shooting, Roger Nobles Jr. re-entered the truck while his father waited for the light to turn green before "calmly" driving away.
Police tracked the Nobles down to their home after the fatal incident where neighbors say a swarm of law enforcement surrounded them and arrested the two.
"They put them in handcuffs, and then it went from there," one neighbor confirmed to WRAL.com. "They started searching the truck."
Nobles Sr. admitted to the shooting but warrants obtained by the outlet does not show statements on why he fired on Addison in the first place.
Nobles' neighbor, Sahara Chance, told WRAL News she's had problems with the men for years and alleged they've used racial slurs against her in the past.
District Attorney Bill West confirmed to the outlet that more investigation is needed before hate crime charges can be brought up but that they're not off the table.
"If the evidence warrants that type of charge, it's something we would look at and pursue," West said.
Addison's loved ones say he was a caring person who had a "great, loving soul."
"[He was] a loving, caring guy for anybody. He stayed out the way [and] was never in anybody's business," Justin Cockrell, a friend of Addison's said. "There won't be one bad word spoken about Stephen," Cockrell added, describing his friend's killing as "senseless."
"It's just senseless. It's 2022, and we're still talking about road rage. I mean, come on. I lost my brother, for what? He has three kids... he's a veteran and served int he military," he said.
Local police are asking that if anyone who might have cellphone video of the incident or other information to call the department at 910-703-3499 or Crime Stoppers at 910-483-8477.
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