A Colorado man has been charged with attempted murder for allegedly shooting a cook after he was asked to wear a protective face mask due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Kelvin Watson, 27, was arrested Monday for the shooting outside the Waffle House in Aurora.
Watson, who was not wearing a face mask, allegedly stopped by the restaurant with a friend shortly after midnight on May 14. He was reportedly told his order would not be taken without one, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by PEOPLE.
Watson allegedly left the restaurant and returned with a mask, but was not wearing it. A waitress told police that after Watson was refused service again, he pulled out a small silver semi-automatic handgun, put it on the counter and then told the cook, “I can blow your brains out right now,” the affidavit states.
“[The waitress] said the suspect’s friend, who paid their bill, told him to calm down and apologized for the suspect’s behavior,” according to the affidavit. “She said the suspect is at the restaurant every couple days and has never acted like this before.”
The next evening, Watson allegedly returned and slapped the cook “across the face with an opened left hand,” the report states.
The cook ran out the back door of the restaurant and was confronted by Watson who allegedly shot him once.
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The cook was able to run off and call 911. He was taken to the hospital and has since been released.
“This case involves a senseless act of violence that should not be tolerated in any community,” Waffle House spokesperson Njeri Boss said in a statement obtained by 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.”
Watson posted a $100,000 bond on Tuesday and is scheduled to appear in court on May 22.
The Arapahoe County public defender's office didn’t return a call for comment.
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