Michigan security guard killed, police investigating if it was over face mask dispute

Authorities are still investigating the incident, but are responding to reports on social media that said the fight started over face masks.
Image: Maalik Mitchell, left, cries at a vigil for his father, Calvin Munerlyn, in Flint, Mich., on May 3, 2020. Munerlyn was fatally shot at a dollar store where he worked as a security guard.
Maalik Mitchell, left, cries at a vigil for his father, Calvin Munerlyn, in Flint, Mich., on May 3, 2020. Munerlyn was fatally shot at a dollar store where he worked as a security guard.Jake May / The Flint Journal via AP

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By Ben Kesslen

A security guard who was shot and killed at a store in Flint, Michigan, might have been killed in a dispute over a face mask, Michigan State Police said.

Calvin Munerlyn, a father of eight, shot in the head Friday while working at a Family Dollar, according to NBC affiliate WEYI.

Authorities said there have been multiple reports on social media that the dispute started over a patron at the store not wearing a mask.

“We’re seeing a lot of these reports on social media, so we're investigating them," Michigan State Police 1st Lt. David Kaiser said Sunday to the Detroit News "We'll talk to all the potential witnesses."

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer required state residents entering enclosed public spaces to wear masks.

Kaiser told MLive that masks are "part of the investigation."

A vigil was held for Munerlyn, 43, on Sunday night, and a GoFundMe has raised over 10,000 for his family's expenses.

"I just want to hear his voice again," Demonte Munerlyn, one of his oldest sons, told WEYI.

Michigan State Police did not immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment on Monday.

Image: Ben KesslenBen Kesslen

Ben Kesslen is a reporter for NBC News.