Face mask dispute, assault ends with police shooting

GRAND LEDGE » A man was fatally shot Tuesday by a Michigan sheriff’s deputy after stabbing another man who had challenged him about not wearing a mask at a convenience store, police said.

The shooting occurred in Eaton County, southwest of Lansing, about 30 minutes after the stabbing at a Quality Dairy store, state police Lt. Brian Oleksyk said.

A sheriff’s deputy spotted the man’s vehicle in a residential neighborhood and shot him when he tried to attack her with a knife, Oleksyk said.

Sean Ruis, 43, of Grand Ledge died at a hospital. He earlier stabbed a 77-year-old man inside the Quality Dairy when he was confronted about not wearing a mask, Oleksyk said.

The stabbing victim was in stable condition at a hospital. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has ordered people to wear masks in stores to reduce the risk of the coronavirus.

The decision about whether to wear a mask in public for some has become a political statement.

MATTHEW DAE SMITH — LANSING STATE JOURNAL VIA AP Pictured is the scene where a 77-year-old man was stabbed by a 43-year-old man Tuesday morning outside of a Quality Dairy on Lansing Road in Windsor Township, Mich. A Grand Ledge man who stabbed an elderly man outside a Quality Dairy store after being refused service for not wearing a mask was shot and killed by an Eaton County deputy several miles away, Michigan State Police said.