Dollar-store guard murder after face mask altercation raises fears coronavirus activism is getting violent

Calvin Munerlyn, a guard at a Family Dollar store in Flint, Michigan, was shot dead on Friday, and prosecutors have charged three people — a woman, her 23-year-old son, and her husband — with his murder. Shortly after Munerlyn told the woman, Sharmel Teague, her daughter couldn't enter the store because she wasn't wearing a mask, as legally required, two men returned to the Family Dollar and shot Munerlyn in the back of the head, Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said Monday. Witnesses have identified the adult son, Ramonyea Bishop, as the one who pulled the trigger.
Police have arrested Sharmel Teague, but Larry Teague and Bishop have not yet been apprehended, The Associated Press reports. A day earlier, men carrying semiautomatic rifles had been among protesters who entered Michigan's capitol to protest coronavirus mitigation orders put in place by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) to smother the state's COVID-19 outbreak.
"The hostile tone that we have seen in recent days on television and in social media can permeate our society in ways we sometimes don't fully realize or anticipate," Leyton said Monday. "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." Other states have started to relax stay-at-home orders, and public health officials say the direct cost will be tens of thousands more deaths in coming months, CBS News highlighted Monday night.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Also Monday, court records indicated that a man arrested early Friday for making pipe bombs told FBI agents he planned to use the homemade explosive devices to protect his home in case of an invasion, not to detonate at a May 1 coronavirus protest at Colorado's capitol, The Denver Post reports. Bradley Bunn, 53, had been involved in online discussions about bringing military-style weapons to the protest, though a law enforcement official told the Post those discussions were not what prompted the raid. Bunn faces up to 10 years in prison in convicted of bomb-related charges.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Toast to great drinks and gorgeous views at these 7 rooftop bars
The Week Recommends Elevate your typical night out
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Sudoku hard: February 24, 2025
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sudoku medium: February 24, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Ozempic can curb alcohol cravings, study finds
Speed read Weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy may also be helpful in limiting alcohol consumption
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New form of H5N1 bird flu found in US dairy cows
Speed Read This new form of bird flu is different from the version that spread through herds in the last year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Microplastics accumulating in human brains, study finds
Speed Read The amount of tiny plastic particles found in human brains increased dramatically from 2016 to 2024
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
FDA approves painkiller said to thwart addiction
Speed Read Suzetrigine, being sold as Journavx, is the first new pharmaceutical pain treatment approved by the FDA in 20 years
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Study finds possible alternative abortion pill
Speed Read An emergency contraception (morning-after) pill called Ella could be an alternative to mifepristone for abortions
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
California declares bird flu emergency
Speed Read The emergency came hours after the nation's first person with severe bird flu infection was hospitalized
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Bird flu one mutuation from human threat, study finds
Speed Read A Scripps Research Institute study found one genetic tweak of the virus could enable its spread among people
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Dark chocolate tied to lower diabetes risk
Speed Read The findings were based on the diets of about 192,000 US adults over 34 years
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published