The man charged in a deadly shooting near Velma's bar in Trussville has been granted bond.
Kanen Isaac Harper, 24, of Moody, is charged with murder in the December 20 death of Christian Scott White, of Clay.
Defense attorneys claim the incident began with an argument between two women at Velma's that escalated despite Harper's attempt to de-escalate.
"From a legal standpoint, some facts came out in today's Aniah's Law hearing that demonstrates our stance in this entire case," said criminal defense attorney Truman Fitzgerald. "And that is, that on the morning of December 20, Kanen Harper was acting in self-defense. There's evidence that Christian White punched Kanen Harper. There's evidence that prior to Christian White punching Kanen Harper, a third person, a man, pointed a knife at Kanen and he chose to flee from that scene and that's when Christian White punched him."
Jefferson County District Judge Tanita Cain heard from both sides about events leading up to the shooting death of White. She set Harper's bond at $200,000 and ordered him to be monitored and placed on a "complete lock down."
"The Defendant has no prior felony convictions," the order states. "The Defendant has ties to the community and no history of drug or alcohol abuse, mental health conditions and past record of not appearing in court."
Cain stated in the court order that White was found to have a pocketknife that he never brandished.
Fitzgerald said he is not numb to the fact that a 32-year-old father lost his life in the early morning hours of December 20.
"Kanen Harper hates this entire incident," Fitzgerald continued. "He hates it. However, we're going to fight from day one to prove that on the morning of December 20, he acted in self-defense and he did everything that he could to protect and preserve his life."
Harper is considered innocent until proven guilty.
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