A security guard from a Family Dollar store was fatally shot in Michigan on May 1. Witnesses say that the security guard was killed during a dispute with a customer who refused to wear a protective mask in the store. The state of Michigan has released a guideline that requires everyone to wear a face mask in public.
WEYI reported that Calvin Munerlyn was shot in the head while working at the Flint dollar store, at around 2:15 p.m. The 43-year-old victim died later from his injuries at a hospital.
Face mask brawl
According to The Detroit News, David Kaiser, the Michigan State Police First Lieutenant said that they are investigating claims that Munerlyn was killed after telling a customer that they are required to wear a mask in the store amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued an order on April 24 that requires people to wear a protective mask while inside any public enclosed building. Courtney Cabine, a family friend of the victim, remembered Munerlyn as the "life of the party and an amazing, outgoing person."
Munerlyn was reportedly shot near the entrance of the Family Dollar. According to MLive, police said that the suspects fled in the direction of some high-rise apartments that are located behind the store. There is still no arrest announced by the police. David Leyton, the Genesee County Prosecutor, is scheduled to hold a press conference regarding the fatal shooting that happened on May 1.
Violence amid the pandemic
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer had issued a stay-at-home order until May 15 to help slow down the spread of the coronavirus in the state. However, the strict orders did not sit well for some locals as anti-lockdown protesters flooded the streets and barricaded the Michigan State Capitol.
Hundreds of men with rifles slung around their chests led the protest after Governor Whitmer announced that she is thinking of extending the lockdown. The protest is the largest in the state since April 15, when allies and supporters of President Donald Trump organized thousands of people for "Operation Gridlock", causing traffic in the streets of Lansing with their cars to call out what they said was the overreach of Governor Whitmer's strict stay-at-home order.
The slow reopening of state economies around America has taken on political overtones, as Republicans affiliated with Trump's re-election promoted protests in states such as Michigan.
In Chicago, gun violence still persists amid the pandemic. Shootings and murders are still high, as more are recorded in April than in March. During the first weekend of April, two people were killed and 18 were wounded on the city's predominantly black and brown South and West Sides.
Chicago also endured its most violent day of 2020 on April 7 with at least 21 shot, including a five-year-old girl and six people were killed.
The United States is on the top of the list of the countries with most coronavirus cases, surpassing Italy and Spain quickly. The U.S has recorded 1,212,900 coronavirus cases since the pandemic started, with 69,921 deaths and 188,068 recovered cases.
