A sheriff’s agent fatally shot a Michigan man suspected of stabbing an elderly man outside a convenience store after he was denied service for not wearing a mask, authorities said Tuesday.
Sean Ernest Ruis, 43, of Grand Ledge, walked into a Quality Dairy store in Windsor Township before 6:30 a.m. and had an argument with a 77-year-old man inside during a confrontation over his refusal to cover his face. . Michigan State Police Lt. Brian Oleksyk said.
Both men left the store and continued the dispute in the parking lot. Ruis stabbed the man and fled the area in a car, Oleksyk said.
An Eaton County Sheriff’s Deputy saw the vehicle and started a traffic stop. Ruis allegedly got out of the car with a knife and approached the officer, authorities said.
Denied wearing a mask inside a Michigan convenience store, he was shot dead Tuesday by an Eaton County sheriff after allegedly stabbing a 77-year-old man over an argument about the mask requirement.
(Michigan State Police)
“The deputy tried to increase the distance by backing up and subsequently shot and wounded the suspect,” Oleksyk said.
Ruis died on the way to a Lansing area hospital. The stabbed victim was taken to a hospital. His condition and the extent of his injuries were not immediately available.
The deputy, whose name was not released, is a 22-year veteran of the sheriff’s department and was uninjured. The Michigan State Police is investigating both incidents.
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The fatal shooting comes on the second day of Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s order requiring masks to be worn inside companies. The order obliges companies to refuse entry or service to anyone who does not use one. Facial covers should also be used in crowded outdoor spaces and indoor public areas.
Ruis had worked as a transportation technician for the state Department of Transportation since 2008, spokesman Aaron Jenkins told Fox News.
