Sean Ruis, 43, was shot by police after stabbing a man in a convenience store.
A Michigan man was killed in a shooting involving an officer Tuesday morning after he allegedly stabbed a person during a dispute over wearing a face mask inside a store, according to authorities.
Eaton County Sheriff Tom Reich said Sean Ruis, 43, was not wearing a mask inside the Quality Dairy store when he confronted a customer who was wearing it.
Ruis allegedly stabbed the 77-year-old victim and fled the scene in a vehicle at 6:47 am. An Eaton County deputy arrested Ruis in Delta Township, near Lansing, about half an hour later.
It was then that Ruis jumped out of the car and aggressively approached the officer while wielding two knives and a screwdriver, police said. The officer fatally shot her when she pulled away from the suspect.
The incident was captured in the camera of the body of the deputy. In the video, the unnamed officer is heard repeatedly asking the man to drop the knives before opening fire.
The deputy involved was not injured and was placed on administrative leave while the police department conducts a review, Reich said in a statement. The Michigan State Police is also conducting an independent investigation into the deadly use of force and is leading the investigation into the stabbing incident.
“She saved his life. That’s the most important thing here,” Reich said of the officer. “He had to use lethal force, and he did it correctly, and I am glad that he was not harmed in any way.”
Reich said he was unaware of the 77-year-old victim’s current condition at the convenience store, but said he suffered a serious injury.
The sheriff said this is the first violent encounter regarding facial masks in the county, as he encouraged residents to wear them.
“The goal here is to be safe,” Reich said at the press conference. “That is all the governor is doing in this executive order: stop the spread of this COVID-19.”
“Wear your mask. I wear my masks. My officers wear masks. We all have to be safe,” he added.
While the shooting was the first in the county, it is not the only recent fatal encounter in Michigan for wearing a mask. In May, Calvin Munerlyn, a 43-year-old father of eight, had an argument with someone who refused to wear a mask at a Family Dollar store in Flint, Michigan. They shot him and killed him for disagreement.
Fatal arguments about the masks have also occurred elsewhere. On July 5, a security guard shot and killed a man who refused to wear a mask at a southern California grocery store.
ABC News’ Cheryl Gendron contributed to this report.
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