Body cam video released of deadly confrontation between sheriff’s deputy and stabbing suspect

Suspect accused of stabbing man during mask dispute

EATON COUNTY, Mich. – Police have released body cam video of a deadly confrontation in the Lansing area between a sheriff’s deputy and a man armed with a knife.

The armed man is accused of stabbing a customer at a Quality Dairy store in Dimondale during an argument over wearing a mask. The suspect was later shot and killed when officials said he pulled his knife on a deputy.

READ: Deputy fatally shoots Michigan man wanted for stabbing customer during mask argument

Police said the man who was killed had been refused service at the store earlier Tuesday morning for not wearing a mask and stabbed a 77-year-old customer during the dispute.

When officials responded they found the man driving near his home. The Eaton County Sheriff released body cam footage of the shooting.

The deputy involved as a 22-year veteran of the Eaton County Sheriff’s Office. The footage captures the encounter as the man charges her and she fires several shots, reloads and fires again.

The man who was shot is 43-year-old state worker Sean Ruis. Police said he had stabbed the 77-year-old man and the deputy tracked him down to the neighborhood where he lived in Grand Ledge and pulled him over.

READ: Video shows Michigan mask-related stabbing suspect lunging at deputy with knives before being fatally shot

Home surveillance video shows Ruis walking toward the deputy, ignoring orders to drop the knife and then charging. The body camera footage shows Ruis had two knives in his right hand and a screwdriver in his left.

Police said Ruis died at the hospital during surgery. The 77-year-old man is still hospitalized.

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Jason is Local 4’s utility infielder. In addition to anchoring the morning newscast, he often reports on a variety of stories from the tragic, like the shootings at Michigan State, to the off-beat, like great gas station food.

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