ABC's Vargas Suggests Removing Bullets Before Confronting Angry Mob

April 10th, 2008 12:47 AM

On Friday, ABC's 20/20 featured a story about a Long Island man, John White, who was put on trial for shooting a teen, Dano Cicciaro, at the end of his driveway after Cicciaro and some friends showed up at 11:00 PM during a dispute with White's son Aaron. While the story was mostly balanced in noting the strengths and weaknesses in each side's case, at one point, Elizabeth Vargas oddly asked White why he didn't remove the bullets from his gun before confronting the group of five hostile teens: "So you grabbed it hoping to scare the boys? ... So why not take the bullets out?"

More details of the case can be found here. Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of the Friday April 4 20/20 on ABC:

ELIZABETH VARGAS: It was just after 11:10 PM, August 9, 2006. Dano Cicciaro and four of his friends pulled up outside the home of John White. According to the White family, this is what it looked like to them: bright lights shining up their driveway and several angry young men shouting outside.

SONIA WHITE, MOTHER OF AARON WHITE: I was paralyzed with fear. I never felt like that in my life before.

JOHN WHITE, FATHER OF AARON WHITE: It reminded me of a lynch mob. That's how they, that's how they acted, calling for my son.

VARGAS: There would be many disagreements about what happened that night. What is undisputed is that just before he left the garage, John White made a fateful decision. He picked up a loaded .32-caliber pistol that had been handed down to him by his grandfather.

VARGAS: When you walked outside with that gun, were you planning to use it?

JOHN WHITE: No. I wanted to repel them. I wanted them to go away.

VARGAS: So you grabbed it hoping to scare the boys?

JOHN WHITE: That's all.

VARGAS: So why not take the bullets out?

JOHN WHITE: Because it was no time. They were coming up the driveway.