Idiot America

The Washington Post

May 7, 2020

The dining area at a McDonald’s in Oklahoma City had been closed because of safety precautions intended to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. But when a customer entered Wednesday evening and was informed of the rules, things got violent.

A woman authorities identified Thursday as Gloricia Woody got into a physical confrontation with an employee after being told to leave, police said in a statement. Employees forced the 32-year-old out of the restaurant, but she returned with a handgun.

She allegedly fired about three rounds. One employee was hit in the arm, while shrapnel struck two others. The employee involved in the initial encounter with Woody had a head injury. Three of the four employees were taken to a hospital, but all were expected to recover, police said.

The incident was the latest in a growing trend of violence directed at employees of businesses trying to enforce social distancing measures. Last week, a Family Dollar security guard was fatally shot in Flint, Mich., after telling a customer that her child had to wear a face mask to enter the store.

“Obviously it’s a heinous crime, particularly because these two people were trying to really support public health,” McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski said Thursday on “Good Morning America.” “I think what you’re seeing in this situation is really what you’re seeing in a variety of situations across the country, which is this tension about opening and people’s concern about it. But there’s absolutely no excuse for violence, particularly gun violence.”