Man, 27, ‘refusing to wear coronavirus mask shoots Waffle House cook after being told to leave’
A 27-YEAR-old man allegedly shot a Waffle House cook who asked him to leave because he wouldn't wear a coronavirus mask.
Kevin Watson was booked by cops on Monday in relation to a mask dispute, which reportedly led to a parking lot shooting outside the restaurant in Aurora.
Bystanders told police two unmasked men walked into the restaurant on East Mississippi Avenue at about 12:30 am on Thursday before the alleged incident occurred.
Line cook Brian Gruhler, 25, told them they had to wear face coverings to be served there, according to the .
The men left the restaurant but returned a short while later holding the masks in their hands instead of wearing them to prevent , an arrest affidavit said.
One of the men then began threatening Gruhler, telling him to "shut up" or he would "pull a gun and blow your brains out."
"I’ll come back there and shut you the f*** up!" he raged, the document stated. "Make my food!”
A waitress claimed she saw a handgun sitting on the counter at this point but detectives couldn't confirm her recollection after watching the CCTV footage back.
I’ll come back there and shut you the f*** up! Make my food!
Suspected Shooter
The next day, Watson came back wearing a face covering and Gruhler tried to run to the back of the restaurant.
“You better shut the f*** up and serve me!” he shouted, according to the affidavit, before allegedly shooting the 25-year-old victim in the chest.
The injured victim Gruhler ran to his home nearby, called the police, and survived the attack, reported .
Watson was identified via a receipt with his name on it from from the restaurant — where employees said he was a regular customer, and vehicle records of a BMW parked outside at the time.
His car was also linked to another tow yard shooting in the Colorado capital on April 23 and several Waffle House workers also identified him from photo lineups.
This included a waitress who picked up a gold earring that fell out of the man's pocket and said it matched the jewelry Watson wore in an old mugshot.
Watson is being held on $100,000 bond at the Arapahoe County jail ahead of his May 22 appearance.
He was charged with attempted first-degree murder for the alleged shooting.
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“This case involves a senseless act of violence that should not be tolerated in any community," Waffle House representative Njeri Boss told KDVR.
"We are very thankful that neither of our associates who were working when the incident occurred, suffered any life-threatening injuries."
“Our thoughts and well wishes remain with our associate who was injured and now is recovering at home.”