PUNTA GORDA, Fla. — A Punta Gorda man was arrested after deputies say he threatened two fence workers with a revolver, used racial slurs and vowed to kill them during a confrontation outside his home.
Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to Sabalwood Drive at approximately 2:30 p.m. on June 17, 2026, after receiving multiple 911 calls reporting two men pointing firearms at one another.
When deputies arrived, they observed 68-year-old Shelton H. Roy Jr. attempting to leave the area. Authorities said Roy ignored lawful commands to stop and was detained while deputies secured the scene and conducted their investigation.
According to investigators, two men had been contracted to install a fence on a property adjacent to Roy’s residence. While the workers were unloading materials, Roy allegedly approached them, repeatedly used racist slurs and threatened to kill them if they continued the project.
Deputies said Roy then sat on the tailgate of an abandoned truck on his property, about 10 feet from the work area, and continued making threats.
After the verbal confrontation escalated, Roy allegedly produced a silver revolver and pointed it at the workers.
The victims took cover behind their truck. One called 911 while the other retrieved a firearm from the vehicle for self-defense, according to investigators.
Several witnesses who were not involved in the dispute corroborated the victims’ accounts. One witness provided detectives with a photograph that allegedly showed Roy holding the firearm during the incident.
Detectives later obtained a search warrant for the property and located a loaded silver revolver on the back seat of a vehicle parked in Roy’s front yard.
Roy was arrested and charged with two counts of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon and one count of Resisting an Officer Without Violence.
Authorities said a hate crime enhancement was added because of the repeated racial slurs allegedly directed at the victims, including statements Roy reportedly made during his own recorded 911 call.
Roy was booked into the Charlotte County Jail, where he is being held without bond.
The investigation remains ongoing.