Analysts: Son involved in road rage shooting knew his father was planning to shoot

Stephen Addison, a 32-year-old Black man, was shot and killed by Roger Dale Nobles, 51, who is white, in a road rage confrontation on Monday, officials said.

Video sent to WRAL News on Tuesday shows Nobles' son, Roger Dale Nobles Jr., get out of the truck and argue with Addison before his father fires a shotgun from the truck's driver's seat.

Anthony Waddy, an analyst with SAV Consulting, said that Nobles Jr.'s body language shows that he played a key role in the shooting.

"Where he's actually standing in reference to, what we call in the military, a fatal funnel," he said. "He's clearly out of harm's way."

Waddy said it appears that Nobles Jr. anticipated the shooting and cleared a path for his father to fire shots. Nobles Jr. got out of the truck to confront Addison, and Nobles Sr. fired a gun from the driver's seat, police said.

As the shots were fired, Nobles Jr. didn't flinch, the video shows, which Waddy said further proves his theory.

The most startling parts of the video are what did not happen, according to Waddy. 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.

Officials did take Nobles Jr. into custody but did not end up filing any charges against him. Nobles Sr., who admitted to firing the shot in an interview with police, faces a charge of first-degree murder.

Daniel Meier, a defense attorney, told WRAL News there is likely not enough evidence to charge Nobles Jr. with any crime unless prosecutors could prove that Nobles Jr. knew his father was going to shoot and kill Addison as part of a plan. Meier and a former North Carolina Superior Court judge both agree that Nobles Jr. was not legally obligated to report the shooting, render aid to Addison or report his father for a crime.

To be charged with accessory to murder after the fact, Meier said Nobles Jr. would have had to help to get rid of evidence or help cover up the crime.

"You don't have an obligation to report a criminal activity, even if you know the person who committed it," he said. "You can watch a crime occur right in front of you, and you don’t have to call the police."

If there was some sort of prior agreement to murder Addison, then Nobles Jr. could be held responsible, Meier said.

"This particular incident sheds a lot of light on what we need to be doing better, to understand how we can deescalate in certain situations, and how we both can return home to our families," said Ricky Davis, founder and CEO of RICE Security and Consulting.

Nobles Sr. admitted to the shooting after his arrest, but the arrest warrants do not include any reason he might have offered to police.

Cumberland County District Attorney Billy West told WRAL News he was looking at all possible charges against Roger Dale Nobles, including hate crime charges. He said he'll weigh the evidence and do more interviews before making that decision. At this time, West said he was still reviewing evidence and completing interviews and had not made yet any charging recommendations.

"If the evidence warrants that type of charge, it's certainly something we would look at and pursue," West said.

A neighbor, Shahara Chance, told WRAL News that she's had problems with Nobles for years, and that he has used a racial slur 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," Chance said.

Nobles is being held at the Cumberland County jail without bond.

Police asked that anyone with cellphone or dash camera video of the confrontation or the shooting call the police department at 910-703-3499 or Crime Stoppers at 910-483-8477 (TIPS).