Joseph William Rossing, and Robert Ray Shelton.
Two white defendants in Des Moines, Iowa allegedly attacked a Black man while yelling racial slurs. Joseph William Rossing, 35, and Robert Ray Shelton, 49, were booked into the Polk County Jail this weekend, according to records viewed by Law&Crime.
The attack stemmed from a scooter-related dispute, deputies said in an incident report obtained by The Des Moines Register. Rossing was attempting to sell kids’ scooters to Shelton. They connected on Facebook and met Saturday afternoon. Their children went riding the scooters. The victim said that he was driving on NE 46th Street and slowed down to tell the two defendants to get their kids out of the street, deputies said.
Things escalated. Shelton allegedly yelled at him. The defendants pried open the man’s locked car door. Shelton allegedly punched him. Rossing allegedly kicked and punched him in the face. The two allegedly yelled racial slurs.
A witness account also backed up the claim that both defendants kicked and punched the victim in the face. This person also said Shelton yelled at the victim, jumped onto the man’s vehicle, and that the man could not get him off while trying to drive away.
Two other witnesses also claimed to see the defendants kick and punch the man.
The victim had cuts to his cheek and ear, deputies said. Meanwhile, Shelton claimed he had been struck 13 times, but investigators said they saw no marks on him. Instead, there was the victim’s blood.
Authorities have said that Rossing, who is on parole, belongs to the Frys white supremacist gang. He remains in jail as of Wednesday morning on charges of willful injury, criminal mischief in the fourth degree, child endangerment, violation of parole, and assault causing bodily injury in violation of individual rights — the latter of which is a hate crime. Shelton, who was released from lock up on Tuesday, faces a count each of willful injury, criminal mischief in the fourth degree, and assault causing bodily injury in violation of individual rights.
[Mugshots via Polk County Jail]
