LONE TREE, Colo. (KDVR) – A mother claims she and her son were targets of racial harassment and violence while simply trying to cross the street in Lone Tree. The incident happened at the intersection of Lincoln and Yosemite on Memorial Day.
It was a sunny Monday afternoon when Kristin Shelton says she and her son walked to the grocery store to get some fresh air. She said that’s when things took a turn and two white men hurled racist slurs at her 15-year-old biracial son and tried to run them over.
“We could have died,” Shelton exclaimed.
A near-death experience Shelton and her son Elijah are alive to tell and walk FOX31 through.
“We were walking across the street here,” Shelton explained. “I see my son step out and then this car just floors it. There was absolute hate behind it. I watched them hit the pedal as soon as my son stepped into the street and just immediately knew something was wrong.”
Shelton said around 4:45 p.m., she, her son and her dog were walking across the street with groceries from Safeway when a blue or black Mazda slammed on the gas and made a beeline straight for her teenage son.
She added that the car narrowly missed both her and her dog.
“They were so close to me,” Shelton said. “As they were passing that’s when they began yelling the racial slurs.”
She said Elijah sprinted to the median to safety while the car sped off. Shelton told FOX31 that she witnessed two young white men in the car and the passenger had a hat on. She said they were yelling the N-word among other hateful insults at her biracial son.
“I was shocked,” Shelton said. “I was like I can’t believe this like I was angry, I was furious, I was sad, I was scared, it was awful. My kid should not have to worry about riding his bike to work or crossing the street or walking to the bus without being targeted just because of the color of his skin.”
Unfortunately, Shelton shared that this incident isn’t her son’s first encounter with racism in Colorado or Lone Tree and the hate must stop. She hopes by sharing this experience that will prevent it from happening again, bring awareness to Lone Tree citizens and lead to accountability.
“I don’t think these incidents should be taken lightly,” Shelton said. “They pose a threat to the community and more so to the minorities of the community. They need to understand that there are consequences to their actions, and I want charges pressed.”
Shelton immediately filed a report with the Lone Tree Police Department who are aware of the incident. The department is urging anyone with information or a similar experience to come forward.
As a concerned mother, Shelton posted about the incident on Nextdoor and said the support has been overwhelming. She said she received information from someone who had a similar incident happen in their neighborhood and the car description matched but did not report it to police.
Shelton also said there are cameras in the area, however, they only capture things in real time and don’t record. She’s hoping the two young men will be caught and learn a valuable lesson, so this doesn’t happen to anyone else.