Man shot by gas station clerk after refusing to wear mask to buy chips, NV cops say
A Las Vegas gas station clerk shot a customer who refused to wear a mask when he tried to pay for chips, police said.
The customer walked into the Terrible Herbst Convenience Store on Feb. 6 without a mask on, and a worker inside asked him to put one on or leave, Las Vegas police said in a case report.
He brought three bags of chips up to the counter, but the clerk refused to ring him up, police said.
The man then walked out of the convenience store with the snacks in hand without paying, police said, and the worker followed him out and started recording him on his phone.
After realizing he was on camera, the customer moved toward the clerk and got into a physical fight, police said.
That’s when the employee pulled out a handgun and fired toward the man three times, hitting him once in the shoulder, police said.
Police said the injured man ran to the business nearby where his ex-girlfriend picked him up and took him to the hospital.
The clerk was then seen calling someone who he argued with before fatally shooting himself in the head, police said.
Officers responded to the shooting around 8:40 a.m. and learned what happened from a witness and surveillance footage, according to the report.
Police said the 36-year-old clerk would have been charged with battery with a deadly weapon if he lived.
This story was originally published February 18, 2022 at 12:09 PM with the headline "Man shot by gas station clerk after refusing to wear mask to buy chips, NV cops say."
