A Black teen was the victim of a heinous hate crime that left him with a broken jaw.
The shocking ordeal took place on June 6th in Monroe County, Michigan. 18-year-old Devin Freelon Jr. and two friends were innocently playing music as they walked to the parking lot of William C. Sterling State Park, a public park with a lakeside beach. The group of friends spotted Lee James Mouat, a 42-year-old White man coming their way, shouting racial slurs.
“N—— don’t belong on this beach,” Mouat yelled at the Black teens. “Black lives don’t matter,” he also shouted. One of Freelon’s friends responded, “We’ll kick your a–.” This apparently infuriated the racist beachgoers, who said, “I’ve got something for you in my car,” as he turned to walk away. The group of friends assumed Freelon was leaving with his family. But instead, a witness saw him moving toward his minivan saying “I’ll show you!” before retrieving the chain lock.
By this time, Freelon and friends had separated and the teen was headed towards his own vehicle. Mouat then yelled, “Hey,” and promptly swung the lock at the young man’s face. Once Freelon fell to the ground, Mouat swung again, but this time he missed, according to a witness. The young man was rushed to the hospital just moments after the assault.
Two witnesses observed Mouat complaining about the music moments before the attack and calling the boys the n-word and “monsters.” Another witness heard him threaten to “bash their heads in if they don’t turn [their music] down.”
A GoFundMe has raised $18,000 for the young man and a local dentist repaired his teeth for free. Protests erupted on June 9th outside of the county courthouse on the day of Mouat’s arraignment with supporters holding “Justice for Devin” signs.
If convicted, Mouat faces up to 10 years in prison. His lawyers have not commented on the case.
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