Park memorializes fallen officer

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – On March 31, 2007, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officers Jeff Shelton and Sean Clark responded to a call at a northeast Charlotte apartment complex.

Police say the suspect, Demetrious Montgomery, shot the officers. Both officers died, after hours spent fighting for their lives in the hospital. Now, nearly 11 months after the crime, there is an even stronger focus on not forgetting.

“My assignment that night was actually to go pick up Jeff’s wife Jennifer and transport her to the hospital. It brings back a lot of memories,” says Sergeant L.P. Ellis.

Ellis was the officers’ sergeant at the time of the shootings. For her, the loss was deeply personal.

“You reflect after everything is over,” she says. “After the suspect is apprehended and then you start taking care of each other and the families that are involved.”

The day we talked with Sergeant Ellis, she was joined by Officer Brian Sanders and hundreds of children, playing in a place born from this tragedy.

“The fact that he was taken at such an early age … people can come here. There is a peace at this park,” says Sanders.

The Officer Jeff Shelton Memorial Park is located in Shelton’s hometown of Locust in Stanly County, and it’s getting a lot of use. It was built with donations and mostly volunteer labor.

“This was a big deal for Jennifer. She didn’t want just a park to bear his name. She wanted people to come out here and know who he was. And that is what this park does. If you walk around, you can read about who he was,” Sanders says.

The idea for this learning park, as it turned out, started with a push by local radio station disc jockeys Ace and T.J. from Kiss 95.1.

“We were actually trying to find a way to make a fitting memorial,” Ace said.

They asked their listeners for help, and during the process met a remarkable woman, Jennifer Shelton, dealing with an unimaginable loss. According to TJ,

“Officer Shelton’s wife, Jennifer, was with us through the entire building process,” T.J. said. “The dog park, that was her favorite part because Jeff really had a special relationship with their dog.”

After 20 years in law enforcement, Ellis says she feels something special when she’s at the park. As the suspect accused of shooting the officers awaits trial in jail, she says it is important to remember the sacrifice Shelton and Clark gave. Coming to the park helps her, she says.

“There is no doubt that the spirit of Jeff is here,” Ellis said.

There will eventually be a separate park honoring Officer Sean Clark. It is in the planning stages now, and will be located in Lincoln County near Lake Norman. Donations are still being collected for both parks, as planners look at the cost of long-term maintenance.

Watch WCNC beginning at 4:30 p.m. today for Bobby Sisk's story about these memorial parks.