Charlotte County deputies arrested a 68-year-old Punta Gorda man after he allegedly pulled a loaded gun on two fence contractors. He reportedly shouted racial slurs and death threats at the contractors, according to the Tampa Free Press. The man, Shelton H. Roy Jr., now faces aggravated assault charges with a hate crime slant attached. Deputies say he was trying to walk away as they arrived.
The call came in just after 2:30 p.m. on June 17, when several people reported an armed standoff between two men on Sabalwood Drive. Roy ignored the deputies’ orders to stop, so they took him to the ground. They then handcuffed him to secure the area. He was the only person taken into custody.
Investigators say the trouble started before the 911 calls. Two contractors were unloading materials to put up a new fence on the property next to Roy’s house. Roy approached them, screaming racist remarks and threatening to kill them if they kept working, then sat on the tailgate of a nearby truck and kept it up from about ten feet away.
The standoff turned dangerous when Roy pulled out a silver revolver and pointed it at the two workers during the confrontation. They dove behind their utility truck for cover, and while one called 911, the other grabbed his own gun from the vehicle to protect himself. When Roy heard sirens approaching, he finally went back to his yard. He then hid the revolver before deputies pulled up.
What Charges Does Roy Face?
Roy is currently being held at the Charlotte County Jail without bond. He faces two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, as well as one count of resisting an officer without violence. Prosecutors added a hate crime enhancement because of the racial slurs he used seemingly without fail.
In Florida, a hate crime enhancement can raise an offense’s severity when prosecutors show it was motivated by prejudice, including against the victim’s race. Investigators said Roy repeated those slurs during his own recorded call to 911. That call can actually serve as evidence. Independent witnesses also backed up the workers’ accounts. There was also one bystander who snapped photos of Roy holding the gun.
How Have Authorities Responded?
After getting a search warrant, detectives found the loaded revolver on the backseat of a vehicle parked in Roy’s front yard. Sheriff Bill Prummell condemned the incident in a statement, pointing to the nation’s coming 250th anniversary and calling racism one of its lingering regrets. He said the country should have left it behind by now, and that racism is “an evil for which I have no tolerance.”
Roy hasn’t entered a plea just yet. All of the charges against him remain allegations that prosecutors will have to prove in court. He’s still in custody, pending an upcoming trial. No one was reported hurt, though investigators say the two workers had a gun aimed at them at close range.