Black Security Guard Killed After Asking Customers to Wear Masks inside Family Dollar

The sister of a Michigan security guard who was killed Friday while working at a Family Dollar store, has started a GoFundMe to pay for his funeral and provide for his family.

According to NewsOne, Calvin James Munerlyn, a 43-year-old married father of nine, was working at a Family Dollar in Flint, Michigan, on Friday. During his shift, he asked a female customer to cover her face with a mask while inside the store. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Executive Order says that “everyone must wear a mask in all enclosed public spaces to halt the spread of COVID-19.”

The request started an argument between the customer’s mother and Munerlyn, who advised a cashier not to serve the woman. The customer’s mother then spit at Munerlyn and left the store with her daughter. A short time after, the mother returned with her husband, who shot Munerlyn in the face.

He was pronounced dead on the scene. The GoFundMe goal was $10,000, but 6,000 citizens have donated more than $200,000 as of Tuesday afternoon.

The GoFundMe page describes Munerlyn, who friends called Duper, as “a hard-working, 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 Michigan Live, the two women involved in the argument and the man who shot Munerlyn have all been charged with first-degree murder.

“The death of Calvin Munerlyn is senseless and tragic and those responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent under the law,” Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said in a statement. “From all indications, Mr. Munerlyn was simply doing his job in upholding the Governor’s Executive Order related to the COVID-19 pandemic for the safety of store employees and customers.”

The issue of face coverings and African Americans has been problematic. Sens. Kamala Harris and Cory Booker have pushed the Justice Department to issue guidance for local law enforcement to follow when dealing with African Americans and face coverings during the coronavirus.

Last week, a 25-year-old black man was shot by a white man and his father, a retired district attorney, after the father saw the man wearing a bandana on his face running through a Georgia suburb.