A police officer who worked as a security guard for a basketball game at a school in New Orleans was shot and killed after trying to stop a man trying to enter a gym without a mask.
Tulane University police officer Martinus Mitchum, 38, was working in security during a basketball game at George Washington Carver High School on Saturday, when police said John Shallerhorn tried to enter the gym in the middle of the first half, according to an ABC News report.
As Shallerhorn was not wearing a mask, an employee tried to stop him. After Shallerhorn allegedly punched the employee, Mitchum responded to the scene to try to stop the strife.
Police said Shallerhorn pulled a gun and shot Mitchum, killing him, according to The Washington Post.
Shallerhorn was arrested on the spot and charged with several crimes, including first-degree murder, according to NOLA.com. Police believe Shallerhorn stole someone outside the gym before attempting to enter the indoor arena.
Shallerhorn admitted to shooting Mitchum, police said.
“I feel like Mitch saved lives last night because we don’t know what that man was really going to do there,” said a friend of Mitchum’s to the local television station WJTV. “There were children there, families there. What could you do in high basketball with a gun?”
There have been a series of violent incidents arising from fights over masked commands used to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
In July, a man in Michigan was stabbed after being confronted by a masked assailant for not wearing facial coverage. In May, a man in Illinois allegedly pushed a gas station employee who asked him not to enter the store without covering his face.
Most states maintained their mandates dictating the use of masks en masse as the coronavirus pandemic enters its second year.
Public health officials from the Biden government on Monday raised concerns about lifting restrictions, noting that while cases have dropped, they are stabilizing at a high level. New variants of the COVID-19 disease have raised concerns.