Waffle House shootout over face masks leads to attempted murder charge

A customer who was told to put on a face mask or he wouldn't be served in a Waffle House in Aurora, Colorado refused and then allegedly attacked and then shot the cook who told him to do so, according to TMZ.

The man, Kelvin Watson, 27, now faces an attempted first-degree murder charge.

Watson was at the Waffle House for the second night in a row when the altercation occurred, and the night before this he was hostile with the staff as well, according to police. The previous night, when asked to wear a mask, Watson allegedly placed a gun on the restaurant counter and said to the cook, "I could blow your brains out right now."

The following night, the cook told him he could not be served again and that is when Watson slapped the cook and began chasing him into the back of the restaurant.

Watson yelled at the cook, "You better shut the f--k up and serve me," before firing the gun into the cook's chest/abdomen area outside of the restaurant, according to court documents. The cook then called 911 while attempting to run back to his house.

The cook was has survived the shooting and was taken to hospital, according to a spokesperson for the Waffle House. He was released from hospital last Friday.

Aurora doesn't have any law requiring a face mask at this time for being in public spaces, however the city's health department has strongly advised its residents to do so.