Security guard shot and killed after enforcing face mask policy: officials
Three people have been charged in the fatal shooting of a security guard at a Family Dollar store in Flint, Michigan. Calvin Munerlyn, 43, was shot dead after an altercation May 1 when he refused a customer’s daughter inside the store because she wasn’t wearing a face mask, a local prosecutor said Monday.
Ramonyea Travon Bishop, 23; Larry Edward Teague, 44; and Sharmel Lashe Teague, 45, all face first-degree premeditated murder and gun charges in connection to Munerlyn’s death. Sharmel Teague is in custody. Police are still searching for the two men, who are considered armed and dangerous.
In a news release, Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said Sharmel Teague “began yelling at Munerlyn and spit at him and Munerlyn told her to leave the store and instructed a cashier not to serve her.”
Sharmel left the store. About 20 minutes later, she returned with two men who officials identified as Larry Teague and Ramonyea Bishop. The two men confronted Munerlyn, and Bishop shot Munerlyn in the back of the head, the prosecutor’s office said.
Bishop is Sharmel Teague’s son, the office said. The daughter was not identified or charged.
Police discovered Munerlyn “unconscious and bleeding from his head” at the scene, the release said. He was later pronounced dead at a local medical center. “The death of Calvin Munerlyn is senseless and tragic and those responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent under the law,” Leyton said. “From all indications, Mr. Munerlyn was simply doing his job in upholding the governor’s executive order related to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Munerlyn’s wife told MLive.com that he had worked in the security profession for nearly three decades and had been at the Family Dollar store for a little over a year.
A GoFundMe page has been created for Munerlyn and his family. As of Monday, it has raised more than $61,000.
Last month, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer ordered residents to wear a face-covering in enclosed public areas to stem the spread of the coronavirus, which has killed more than 4,000 people in the state.
“It is incredibly sad that in this crisis that this life was lost,” Whitmer told reporters. “We are mindful of how important it is that people keep a level head, that we do the right thing protecting ourselves and others.”
Munerlyn’s mother told MLive.com that she wants justice for her son. A candlelight vigil was held in Munerlyn’s honor Sunday night.
“They didn’t have to take my baby. All you people just have to do is listen to the law, listen to the governor. Just stay home,” she said. “If you don’t have to come out, then you wouldn’t need a mask unless you’re out getting groceries or necessities. All my baby was doing was his job working and doing his job.”
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