Man who refused to wear a mask threatened to bring gun to store in Utah

A business in Salt Lake City closed doors early Sunday after a patron refused to wear a mask and threatened to return with a gun after being asked to leave.

“I didn ‘t take it too seriously at first … it’s such a crazy thing to say to someone,” said Josh Edgar, an employee of the Stockist. ‘But after a moment I thought,’ Wait, maybe he’s serious. ”

The man went to the specialty store, located at 875 E. 900 South, in Salt Lake’s popular 9th and 9th neighborhoods without wearing a mask. When Edgar saw this, he asked the man to put on a mask.

“He immediately started yelling and cursing at us,” Edgar said. He said the man told him, “This is my country, I do not have to wear a mask.”

Stockist employees Jack Carrasco and Josh Edgar will be pictured in the Salt Lake City store on Sunday, April 11, 2021. Stockist owner Helen Wade chose to close the store for the rest of the day after a person threatened to return with a gun and asked to leave because they were not wearing a mask. .

“He immediately exploded with anger and rage,” said Jack Carrasco, another employee, who saw the interaction as he was packing goods for another customer. “Everyone addressed the situation and everyone was very uncomfortable.”

Edgar finally asked the man to leave the store. When the man left, he said to Edgar, “I’m going to get my gun and come back and shoot everyone.

“It was a little awful, I’m still a little on edge,” Carrasco said.

Salt Lake police have been notified of the threat.

Jack Carrasco, an employee of Stockist, is introduced in the Salt Lake City store on Sunday, April 11, 2021. Stockist owner Helen Wade chose to close the store for the rest of the day after a person threatened to return with a gun and asked to leave because they were not wearing a mask. .

None of the employees had ever experienced such contempt from a customer before about their requirement to wear a mask during shopping. When other customers come in without a face mask and are asked to use one, they are pleasantly obligated or acted a little irritated, but still follow the rules.

The owner of the store, Helen Wade, who was not at the store when the alleged altercation took place, said the situation surrounding the ongoing pandemic, coupled with social and civil unrest over the past year, was difficult enough for businesses to navigate. Aside from renting private security, which is likely to be too expensive for her, she said she is concerned about what to do for the safety of her employees and patrons in the store.

Store owner Helen Wade looks out the front door of her Salt Lake City store on Sunday, April 11, 2021. Wade chose to close the store for the rest of the day after a person threatened to return with a gun when asked to leave. because you are not wearing a mask.

Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall has extended the city’s mask mandate after the expiration of the land mandate on Saturday, which Wade said was useful. Businesses across the state can also set up mask requirements as they see fit.

“It gives us one foot to stand on,” she said, adding that it is not just the store that sets the requirement, but “everywhere you go, you have to wear a mask.”

The support of state and local authorities was comforting to the store owner.

“Unfortunately, this person decided today that they can do what they want and can say what they want and treat us terribly,” Wade said. She hopes that her employees are able to process what happened and that they will not carry too much anxiety in the coming days and weeks.

“This is definitely something we should be concerned about,” Carrasco said.

Contributing: Amy Donaldson

A pedestrian and his dog walk past the Stockist store in Salt Lake City on Sunday, April 11, 2021. Stockist owner Helen Wade chose to close the store for the rest of the day after a person threatened to return with a gun when asked to leave because you were not wearing a mask. .

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