SHOOTOUT AT THE CORONA CORRAL

People Keep Shooting Each Other Over Coronavirus Restrictions: Tracking gun violence tied to face masks, store closures, and social distancing rules

By Jennifer Mascia

The Trace
May 20, 2020

Since March, state and local governments across the country have instituted a slew of public closures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The policies have shuttered businesses and prevented public gatherings, but have also engendered a new category of gun violence.

We’ve spotted at least nine shootings related to these restrictions since the first statewide lockdown went into effect on March 19. According to an analysis of news clips and Gun Violence Archive data, at least four people have died and seven have been wounded in incidents that run the gamut from disputes over coughing in public to anger at businesses refusing service to customers who aren’t wearing masks. Flint, Michigan, is the only place so far with two cases, both disputes involving security guards.

In the list below, we’re including actual shootings with a strong connection to pandemic-related public health restrictions, like social distancing and mask requirements, occupancy limits, and business closures. The list does not include gun-related threats or brandishing in public, nor disputes in which the pandemic seems to have played a more limited role.

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May 15
Flint, Michigan

A security guard at a liquor store shot a customer in the ankle after the man reportedly struck him several times in frustration over the store’s pandemic-imposed occupancy limits.

May 14
Aurora, Colorado

An employee at a Waffle House was shot and wounded after confronting a customer who refused to wear a mask. Police arrested a man and charged him with attempted first-degree murder.

May 12
San Antonio, Texas

A bus driver turned away a licensed concealed carrier for trying to board the bus without a mask, a local news outlet reported. The man proceeded to shoot and critically injure a passenger who came out to confront him.

May 7
Lexington, Mississippi

A police officer was shot and wounded while responding to a report that people were not socially distancing at a party. Three men were arrested.

May 6
Oklahoma City

An employee at a McDonald’s was shot and two other employees were wounded when a customer opened fire after being told the dining area was closed because of coronavirus restrictions.

May 1
Flint, Michigan

Calvin Munerlyn, 43, a security guard at a Dollar General store, was fatally shot after denying entry to a woman whose daughter was not wearing a face mask. Police arrested the woman, her husband, and a suspected accomplice.

April 22
Atlanta

De’onte Roberts, 16, was shot and killed during a fight with his stepfather, who refused to let the teen back home after he’d allegedly violated Georgia’s stay-at-home order. The man, 42, was charged with murder.

March 31
Madison, Wisconsin

Beth Potter, 52, a physician at the University of Washington, and her husband, Robbin Carre, 57, were found shot to death a day after moving their daughter and her boyfriend into an Airbnb after they violated their household’s social distancing rules. The boyfriend was subsequently charged with murder.

March 28
Johnstown, Pennsylvania

A 53-year-old man confronted a motorist who reportedly coughed without covering his mouth in a convenience store parking lot. The argument sparked a physical confrontation, and the coughing man opened fire. No one was injured. Both men were arrested for assault.

EDITOR'S NOTE: What! Two shootings in Flint, Michigan and only one in Texas? There must be some mistake!