HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- Charges have been nolle prossed against a suspect in a Father's Day shooting in Henrico, but the man who was arrested is saying that's not enough.
Salsibi White said words can't describe sitting in jail knowing that you're innocent. He endured 19 days at Henrico County Jail West and was eventually released on Aug. 22.
White was accused of a shooting in the East End. The Commonwealth is now confirming that there's substantial doubt that he was involved.
"My birthday is the 18th. Father's Day was the next day. Why would I be mad and do something like that to cause harm?"
White said he was at a shooting scene on Byron Street on June 19. He was at the scene because on his way to the store, he heard gunshots and ran to help the victim.
Little did he know that this compassion would eventually get him handcuffed and land him a few weeks behind bars.
"I'm totally innocent. I need to go home because I started my job that day also and they took it all away from me," White said.
White said he told this to a judge at a hearing in early August after Henrico Police came to his East End home and arrested him, accusing him of maliciously wounding the shooting victim.
Crime Insider sources told Jon Burkett that he became a suspect in the case because the victim pointed him out in a photo lineup.
"I came out and got in my car and started it up and they came from every direction. Two on the front, two alongside and three in the back and I was like wow. I just didn't know what I'd done or what to do," White said.
White was taken into custody. He sat in jail for 19 days until in court, the Commonwealth admitted they don't believe he was involved.
In an email response to a CBS 6 inquiry, Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney said the following:
I was the prosecutor on that case. We withdrew the charges because after further investigation by the detective, there was substantial doubt about him being the person who committed this shooting. Accordingly, it was not appropriate to continue with the prosecution and I sought to have his case advanced on the docket in order to nolle pros. We do not intent to present his charge to the grand jury.
White contests that nolle prossed isn't good enough, saying it's a trap. He adds that he wants the charges deleted from his record.
He would also like the county to call his apartment complex so he doesn't get charged for repair work after the executed search warrant.
"They were supposed to check the car and instead they just walk off because they found nothing in the house," White said.
White said he and his girlfriend as both seeking services from a counselor, both traumatized by the arrest.
He said the whole situation will make him think twice in the future before helping someone again.
