Suspect Shot By Michigan Deputy After Stabbing Man In Altercation Over A Mask

On the second day of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s mask mandate, a deputy shot and killed a man who stabbed a 77-year-old store customer after being confronted for not wearing a mask.

USA Today reported that Sean Ernest Ruis, 43, entered a convenience store near Lansing, Michigan, around 6:45 a.m., on Tuesday (July 14). While Ruis was in the Quality Dairy store, he was confronted by a 77-year-old man for not wearing a mask as required.

Michigan State Police Lt. Brian Oleksyk noted that while Ruis wasn’t wearing a mask, the 77-year-old male customer was.

He added:

“Both men left the store and got into an argument in the parking lot. Ruis stabbed the other man, then fled the area.”

The outlet reports that the 77-year-old Lansing native is in stable condition. His name was not released to the public.

Nearly 30 minutes after the incident, an Eaton County officer located Ruis and his vehicle in a neighborhood several miles away from the convenience store. When the 22-year veteran deputy made a traffic stop, Ruis exited his car and approached the deputy with a knife, Oleksyk states.

When Ruis walked up to the deputy, she retreated and ordered Ruis to put down his knife. When he approached the deputy for a second time, she shot him. He later died in surgery at a Lansing area hospital.

The Michigan State Police are currently investigating the shooting.