Lithuania’s Supreme Court upholds prison sentence for man who shot Rimi security guard over mask dispute

Lithuania’s Supreme Court has rejected the cassation appeal of Darius Varnas, who shot a security guard at a Rimi supermarket during the COVID-19 pandemic after refusing to wear a face mask, upholding a lower court’s 30-month prison sentence, LRT reports.

The court’s decision confirms the 2023 ruling by the Lithuanian Court of Appeal, which had reclassified Varnas’s crimes and imposed a real-term sentence of two years and six months—overturning an earlier suspended three-year term from the district court. Prosecutors had argued the original charges of illegal firearm possession and grievous bodily harm in a state of extreme emotion were insufficient, successfully pushing for a conviction on grounds of causing severe harm through dangerous means to a person performing official duties.

According to case details, Varnas entered the Vilnius supermarket in 2021 without a mask, defying both pandemic regulations and repeated requests from staff. After striking the guard with his fist and fleeing, he returned and—during a struggle—deliberately fired a legally owned pistol, shattering the guard’s femur and fibula in both legs. The injuries were classified as severe, requiring extensive medical treatment costing over €8,000, covered by Lithuania’s Territorial Patient Fund.

Investigators later found 101 assorted cartridges in Varnas’s home, none matching his licensed weapon. The appeal court ruled that the guard had acted lawfully in pursuing Varnas and that the shooting—occurring in a public space during daylight with bystanders present—constituted an aggravated offense due to the victim’s official role. The Supreme Court’s dismissal of the final appeal leaves the 30-month sentence in force.