Police say a Michigan sheriff’s agent fatally shot a man suspected of stabbing another man who had challenged him for not wearing a mask inside a store
GRAND LEDGE, Mich. – On Tuesday, a Michigan sheriff’s agent fatally shot a man suspected of stabbing another man who had challenged him for not wearing a mask at a convenience store, police said.
The shooting occurred in Eaton County, southwest of Lansing, about 30 minutes after the stabbing at a Quality Dairy store, State Police Lt. Brian Oleksyk said.
A sheriff’s deputy saw the man’s vehicle in a residential neighborhood and shot him when he tried to attack her with a knife, Oleksyk said.
Sean Ruis, 43, of Grand Ledge, who worked at the Michigan Department of Transportation, died in a hospital. He was suspected of stabbing a 77-year-old man inside the store when he was confronted with not wearing a mask, Oleksyk said.
The stabbed victim was in stable condition in a hospital. Governor Gretchen Whitmer ordered people to wear masks in stores to reduce the risk of the coronavirus spreading.
The decision on whether to wear a mask in public for some has become a political statement, and there have been other cases of violent mask encounters. In May, a security guard at a Family Dollar store in Flint was shot dead after denying entry to a customer without a mask.
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