A Michigan man was shot dead by a sheriff's deputy on Tuesday after he stabbed a man at a convenience store who confronted him for not wearing a mask. The Michigan State Police has released the video footage of the incident where the man can be seen being confronted by the deputy and then being shot while approaching her with a weapon.
Several violent incidents over the wearing of masks are being reported across the country, since the reopening of the economy. However, this is the first incident that led to the shooting by the authorities resulting in death.
Violation Leads to Shooting
The incident took place in a neighborhood area on Jerryson Drive in Delta Township around 6.45 am on Tuesday when Sean Ernest Ruis, 43, walked into a Quality Dairy store. He wasn't wearing a mask and was confronted by a 77-year-old male customer, Michigan State Police Lt. Brian Oleksyk said.
The 77-year-old man, whose name wasn't disclosed by the police, was wearing a mask, while Ruis wasn't. Ruis was refused service at the store for not wearing a mask. Later, both the men left the store and an argument started at the parking lot, and a violent Ruis stabbed the man and tried to flee the area.
At around 7.15 am, an Eaton County deputy located Ruis' vehicle in a neighborhood a few miles away on Jerryson Drive in Delta Township during a traffic stop. Anticipating trouble, Ruis immediately got out of his vehicle and approached the deputy with a knife, Oleksyk said.
The deputy retreated and ordered Ruis to drop the knife but he didn't listen and continued approaching her, when she shot him. Ruis was shifted to a hospital and later died during surgery. The 77-year-old man, who is from Lansing, is in stable condition.
Timely Intervention
The Michigan State Police released the video footage from the deputy's body camera that shows her shooting Ruis. Partial footage shows Ruis getting down from his vehicle and advancing towards the deputy with a knife as she attempts to back away. Police said that Ruis appeared to be carrying three weapons, a screwdriver in his left hand and two knives in his right hand.
The deputy can be seen yelling at Ruis to drop the weapon and as she backs away, she fires several rounds at Ruis, who then collapses on the ground. The deputy fired anticipating danger to her life and was unhurt during the incident.
The incident occurred just a day after Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer ordered people to wear masks in stores to reduce the risk of the coronavirus. Several incidents of altercations and violence over not wearing masks have been reported from different parts of the country lately. In May, a security guard at a Family Dollar store in Flint, Michigan was shot fatally after he denied entry to a customer for not wearing a mask.
