Covid-19: Man Charged In Deadly Dispute Over Not Wearing Mask At NY Restaurant/Bar

A New York man has been charged with homicide after a dispute with a fellow patron at a restaurant/bar over not wearing a face mask.

Pamp's Red Zone Bar and Grill on Southwestern Boulevard in West Seneca, a suburb of Buffalo.
Photo Credit: *Google Maps street view*

Joe Lombardi

10/06/2020 12:30 p.m.

It's believed to be the first time such a dispute resulted in a fatality amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

The incident, which happened on Saturday, Sept. 26 at Pamp's Red Zone Bar and Grill in West Seneca, a suburb of Buffalo, left an 80-year-old man dead after the victim reportedly questioned another customer over failing to wear a face mask.

Donald Lewinski, 65, of West Seneca is accused of shoving and knocking Rocco E. Sapienza to the ground after being questioned about not wearing a mask, according to authorities.

Sapienza, who immediately went into a seizure, died five days later.

Lewinski is due to be arraigned at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6 on a charge of criminally negligent homicide.

For the video of a press conference by the Eric County District Attorney detailing the incident and arrest, click here.

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