The George Washington Carver High School basketball team had built a huge early lead in its playoff game in New Orleans on Saturday when John Shallerhorn tried to walk into the gym. But Shallerhorn, 35, wasn’t wearing a mask, so a staffer blocked his way, police said.

When Shallerhorn punched the staffer, Tulane University police officer Martinus Mitchum, who was working security for the team, rushed to help. That’s when Shallerhorn pulled a gun, police said, and fatally shot Mitchum, 38, in the chest, sending players and fans scurrying for safety.

The fatal shooting is the latest deadly incident over mask mandates meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus, including several that have targeted police and guards trying to enforce the policies. Last May, a Family Dollar security guard in Michigan was killed after ordering customers to mask up, and in August, a Pennsylvania man was charged with firing an AK-47 at police after arguing about a mask policy at a cigar shop.

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