A picnic is supposed to be a relaxing, casual event where you enjoy some good food and company and some beautiful weather. If you go with your significant other, then it can also be a romantic date with a small price tag.
All you need is some sandwiches and drinks, a basket, a blanket, and a nice place to spread it all out.
And that’s just how Mississippi couple Jessica and Franklin Richardson wanted to spend their weekend.
They’d decided to spend the Memorial Day weekend enjoying some nature and after some googling, they decided to check out a Kampgrounds of America in Starkville on Oktibbeha County Lake.
They packed up their car with picnic fixings and their dog.
At the campgrounds front office, they asked about the rules and were told that no reservation was needed to picnic by the lake.
The couple found a spot and began to set-up, but only minutes later, a truck pulled up.
An older white woman climbed out wearing a yellow Kampgrounds of America t-shirt.
She was also holding a gun.
She didn’t ask any questions, but simply pointed the gun at them.
Jessica told WCBI:
“She jumped out and the gun was pointed at me, my husband, and our dog.”
“It was just pointing at us,” she continued.
“One finger was on the trigger and one finger was on the lever of the revolver.”
That was when Jessica decided to open the camera on her phone.
She caught the altercation with the manager holding the gun and approaching them.
The woman identified herself as the property manager and told them that they couldn’t be there because it was under private ownership.
She was later identified as Ruby Howell by a fellow employee.
Eventually, the woman puts the gun in her pocket, but the Richardsons decided to just leave.
Jessica said that the way the woman spoke made her opinion of them clear.
“The fact that she used ‘get, get’ like we were a dog,” she explained.
“You say get, get to a stray dog that’s on your porch. That ‘get, get’ got to me more than ‘you don’t belong here.'”
As they left, the couple paused to speak to another employee outside the office, who later turned out to be Ruby Howell’s husband.
They asked about the rules, and he told them that they don’t need a reservation to picnic, but as they spoke, Ruby drove up behind them.
Franklin described it:
“Then she pulls up flying, hops out the car, then proceeded to yell at my wife ‘get in the car, you need to get back in the car,’ just cussing her out and she’s not even saying anything.”
Confused and horrified, the couple left and Jessica posted the video on Facebook, where it quickly went viral.
It wasn’t long before Kampgrounds of America made a statement on the matter.
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In a statement, KOA confirmed that the actions were not condoned and Howell had been fired.
“Kampgrounds of America does not condone the use of a firearm in any manner on our properties or those owned and operated by our franchisees. The employee involved in the incident has been relieved of her duties at the Starkville KOA.”
To see the whole video, head on over to Jessica’s Facebook post .
h/t: WCBI
