After a three-year legal battle to keep her son out of prison, following a shooting that left her former partner injured, Erika Mason breathed a sigh of relief Friday when Racine County Judge Jon Fredrickson sided with the defense.
Damian Mason, 20, was found guilty in May of attempted second-degree intentional homicide after he shot and injured his mother's ex-boyfriend, Nicholas Altman, 43, in 2022.
Mason's family and supporters asserted that the then-17-year-old acted only in defense of his mother.
"If he didn't step in and do what he did, I don't even think I would be here," Erika said. "My son saved my life in 2022, from a domestic situation. They found him guilty, but he's not guilty — he's a hero. He saved me."
According to court records, Altman suffered multiple gunshot wounds following an altercation between himself and then-girlfriend Erika, near the 1100 block of Racine St.
"I watched my son struggle in the hospital, passing out. Passing out at home," Altman's mother, Maeverner Carter, recalled. "He has bullets still lodged in his legs. Bullets all through him, my car all shot up. It's terrible."
"My son didn't abuse her," she added. "He wanted to leave her."
Watch: Racine mom relieved son gets probation after shooting ex-boyfriend
However, video of the incident shows the younger Mason had a gun in hand during the altercation but only raised and then fired the weapon when Altman began driving away with Erika still partially inside the car, trying to grab her belongings.
"He called me out of my name and told me, 'I'm 'bout to kill you,'" Erika shared. "He counted down and proceeded to pull off with my body hanging out of the vehicle."
During his sentencing hearing Friday, Damian made his final plea before Fredrickson and a full courtroom, asking for a second chance.
"I want you to know that despite my guilty verdict, I am a good person," Damian said through tears. "What happened that day, I didn't want it to happen. I just felt like I didn't have a choice."
"If you would grant a probation sentence, I wouldn't fail you or me," he urged. "I feel like I have a lot to offer in this world."
Altman and the state's attorney, however, pushed Fredrickson to sentence Damian to 15 years in prison and five years of extended supervision.
"I look at these bullet holes. I'll never be able to use my arm or my hand like I used to," Altman said in court.
"I just think about my son could have lost his life," Carter added. "Justice has to be served. He's a young man, I understand that. Regardless, he shouldn't have tried to kill my son."
Ultimately, Fredrickson opted for a lesser sentence, but not before admonishing both Erika and Altman for not de-escalating the situation sooner and questioning why a 17-year-old had access to the firearm.
"You guys couldn't have cared less that gun was out there, and I don't know why that is," Fredrickson chided. "I don't know what was going on to make you both not just drop everything."
"There was no indication that he wanted to kill [Altman] up until the car moved," he said.
Fredrickson sentenced Damian to five years' probation, staying an eight-year prison sentence, noting the 20-year-old's clean record, three years already spent confined to his home, compliance with court mandates, and the circumstances leading up to the shooting.
A restitution hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 8, 2025.
In May, Damian was also found guilty of possession of a dangerous weapon as a child.
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