Man shoots at store clerk over mask requirement, then fires on seven police officers with an AK-47

A Pennsylvania man was shot by police and arrested after shooting at a store clerk who tried to force him to wear a face mask and then opening fire with an AK-47 on seven police officers as they were trying to arrest him the next day, Lehigh Valley Live reported.

Adam Zaborowski, 35, faces 22 charges, including attempted homicide, attempted first-degree murder of a police officer, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and illegal gun possession despite a previous aggravated assault conviction.

On Friday morning, Zaborowski reportedly refused to wear a face mask in Cigars International. Zaborowski allegedly stole two cigars after the clerk insisted on the mask, and left the store. When the clerk followed him outside, Zaborowski shot twice at the clerk with a handgun.

Saturday night, police went to Zaborowski's home. They were waiting outside the home with an arrest warrant when Zaborowski got in his truck and drove off. When police pursued and stopped him, he got out and shot opened fire on police with an AK-47. Police shot him twice, in the leg and buttocks.

Zaborowski is now in the hospital, and will be transferred to Lehigh County Prison when he has healed enough to move. His lawyer, John Waldron, claims that stress from personal situations and the pandemic led to Zaborowski's violent and potentially deadly outbursts. From Lehigh Valley Live:

Waldron said he learned that Zaborowski lost his job due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He also recently lost custody of his child. These factors don't justify Zaborowski's behavior but do lend insight into his motives, Waldron said.

"He just wasn't dealing well with the loss of his job, the loss of his child, just not handling the pandemic well," Waldron said. "I think he was getting stretched too tight."

"It doesn't excuse his conduct," Lehigh County District Attorney James Martin said.

Waldron and Martin agree that Zaborowski is lucky to be alive after getting into a gunfight with police officers who were shooting to kill.

"They're not shooting at your foot," Waldron told Lehigh Valley Live. "They're not shooting at your buttocks. It's kill or be killed. So the fact that he got shot twice with non-life-threatening injuries when he had an AK-47 and another handgun, Adam is very fortunate he ended up the way he did."