A white campground worker in Mississippi has been fired after a viral video showed her pulling a gun on a black couple having a picnic.
Franklin and Jessica Richardson took their dog to the Kampgrounds of America location at Oktibbeha County Lake for Memorial Day Weekend. Within minutes of their arrival, the couple was confronted by a property manager who had asked them to leave.
“She then jumps out of her truck with a gun,” Richardson wrote on Facebook. “And proceeded to point it at the 3 of us, simply because we didn’t make reservations.”
According to video footage captured by Jessica Richardson, the woman, who has been identified as Ruby Howell, can be seen on video holding her gun in her hand. The incident appeared to have stemmed from confusion over which areas on the lake were public or private property.
“We didn’t know lady. All you had to do was tell us,” Richardson says in the video. “We would have left. You did not have to pull a gun.”
In an official statement, Kampgrounds of America spokesman Mike Gast said that the company “doesn’t condone” the use of firearms on their property.
“Kampgrounds of America does not condone the use of a firearm in any manner on our properties or those owned and operated by our franchisees,” the spokesperson said. “The employee involved in the incident has been relieved of her duties.”
Apparently, Richardson’s husband who is a military veteran stopped by the campground’s office and was told that they did not need to make a reservation for the lake, but all guests are required to register through the office.
In an interview with WCBI, Richardson compared treatment in America to his recent deployment in the Middle East.
“It’s kind of crazy,” he told the station. “You go over there and don’t have a gun pointed at you, and you come back home, and the first thing that happens is you have a gun pointed at you.”
