Calvin Munerlyn, a father of 9, was gun downed at a Michigan Family Dollar. The victim was shot and killed for turning a customer away that tried entering the store without a mask.
What We Know:
- Monday, Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton charged three suspects in the murder – Sharmel Teague, 45; Larry Edward Teague, 44; and Ramonyea Bishop, 23.
- “Decisions like staying home when we can, wearing a mask when going to the store and staying a safe distance from those around us, these should not be political arguments,” Leyton said. “They don’t necessitate acts of defiance and we simply cannot devolve into an us-versus-them mentality.”
- “We really need to make a commitment as a community … to doing the things necessary to allow us to stay healthy and turn the page on this crisis altogether. If not for ourselves, we should do this for Calvin Munerlyn, who has lost his life needlessly and senselessly.”
- According to USA TODAY, officials said Sharmel Teague and her daughter went to the Family Dollar in Flint, Michigan, Friday afternoon. Security footage shows Munerlyn and Teague getting into a verbal altercation after he told the woman her daughter needed a face mask to enter the store. Teague yelled and spit at Munerlyn, who asked her to leave the store and instructed a cashier not to serve her.
- Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s executive order required everyone to wear a mask in public spaces to prevent the spread of COVID-19. If customers refuse to comply, businesses can turn them away.
- The security footage shows the two driving off in a red GMC Envoy. That same vehicle returned about 20 minutes later at 2:15 p.m. Two suspects, Larry Teague, Sharmel’s husband, and Ramonyea Bishop, her son, entered the store. Larry confronted the security guard about disrespecting his wife, and Bishop fatally shot him in the back of the head, Leyton said. The two men then left the store.
- Munerlyn, 43, was transported to Hurley Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
- Munerlyn, also known as “Duper,” leaves behind nine children and his wife, Leyton said.
- “Duper was a hardworking father and husband who lost his life while doing his job securing the place of business and asking all customers to wear a mask for our own safety as well as others,” according to a statement on the page.
Both suspects are at large and considered armed and dangerous, Leyton said. Sharmel Teague is in custody, awaiting arraignment charges.
