White changes story in Day 2 of trial

LAFAYETTE — Noah White gave conflicting accounts of what happened on the night of Sept. 21, 2008.

The 25-year-old Lanett man told jurors in his opening statement Tuesday that the shootout with law enforcement that night was the result of their “reckless” action. By failing to identify themselves, White said he felt his life was in danger and he had no choice but to defend himself.

But in an interview conducted by agents with the Alabama Bureau of Investigation three days after the incident and played Wednesday in court, White admitted he recognized the people as deputies with the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office. He called them “good ol’ boys” in the interview.

White faces seven counts of attempted murder and one count of discharging a firearm into an occupied building as a result of the incident 17 months ago.

Neither White nor his attorney, Robin McIntyre of Dadeville, disputed any of the testimony given Tuesday by prosecution witnesses regarding who shot first. All of the officers who were asked about it testified that White shot first. That first shot hit Sgt. Shannon Rollins and triggered a standoff between White and law enforcement from surrounding agencies.

But based on the recorded interview played in court Wednesday, White said the deputies shot first. Several times in the interview, he said he was “confused” or “disoriented” by the whole ordeal that night. He was “scared.” He thought the officers were there to kill him. He had to defend himself, he said.

“They started shooting and I was scared for my life,” White said.

He only shot at Rollins because the deputy fired at him first, he claimed.

“I decided I better try to kill him,” White said.

Dr. Enrique Duprat, a surgeon at George H. Lanier Memorial Hospital in Valley, testified Wednesday that he believed Rollins was shot in the back and the bullet damaged a number of internal organs before it exited through the abdomen. It also caused nerve damage that the doctor said would be permanent for the deputy.

White also said in the taped interview he was forced to hide from the deputies and watch for “muzzle flashes” so he could return fire on them.

“I was trying to save my life,” he said.

White contradicted himself in that same interview, claiming it couldn’t have been police shooting at him because they were firing birdshot, which is not the kind of ammunition used by law enforcement. Plus, at no time was he asked to surrender, which he would have expected from police.

“I didn’t know if they were police or not, no sir,” White told the agents during the taped interview.

He said the men were dressed in dark clothes and he couldn’t tell who they were.

In his opening statement Tuesday, White said the deputies failed to use the blue lights on their squad cars, but in the taped interview, he said he saw blue lights.

“I feel like there was some kind of communication breakdown,” he said in the interview. “Whatever happened, I wish it hadn’t.”

White’s story changed again on Wednesday.

ABI special agent Jeff Nelson testified that during an interview he conducted with White more than a year after the incident, the defendant admitted he fired the first shot.

While Nelson was on the stand, the prosecution admitted several items as evidence, including an audio recording of White on the police radio in the Dodge Durango he hijacked that night, as well as the six firearms and ammunition Nelson found in the car White drove to the scene. A 12-gauge shotgun and a handgun were found in the Durango. Nelson testified that every gun was loaded when it was recovered.

Testimony for the prosecution is scheduled to continue at 9 a.m. Thursday in the Chambers County Courthouse.