Punta Gorda man faces hate crime charge, accused of threatening workers with gun, calling them slurs

A Punta Gorda man was arrested after the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office says he pointed a gun at workers and threatened to kill them while calling them racist names.According to CCSO, on Wednesday deputies responded to Sabalwood Drive in Punta Gorda in reference to multiple 911 calls stating that two men were pointing firearms at each other. One of the men went back to his home to hide the weapon when he heard deputies approaching.Deputies say Shelton Roy Jr., 68, was the man who went back into his house to hide his gun. They add that they observed Roy trying to leave the area. He was stopped and detained.An investigation revealed that two men on the adjoining property to Roy's were contracted to install a fence, and that while they were unloading materials Roy began calling them racist names and threatened to kill them, CCSO says.Roy continued to yell at and threaten the workers and after some time had passed, he produced a silver revolver and pointed it at them, deputies say. The workers took cover behind their truck, with one of them calling 911 and the other retrieving his own firearm from the vehicle in self-defense.Witness statements supported the claims of the victims, with one of them reportedly taking a photograph of Roy holding the firearm. A search warrant executed on the property found a loaded silver revolver in the backseat of a vehicle in the front of Roy's property.Roy was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and resisting an officer without violence. CCSO says a hate crime enhancement has been added due to repeated racial slurs made by Roy during the incident and his own recorded 911 call.DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.