A courageous Oklahoma 7-Eleven clerk was fired for taking pictures a buyer, who tried to strangle her and threatened to “slice her head off” — as a result of she used her personal gun, violating the comfort retailer’s coverage.
Stephanie Dilyard, 25, stated she was working alone on the Oklahoma Metropolis 7-Eleven simply after midnight on Nov. 14 when a person got here in and tried to pay for a trove of junk meals with a counterfeit $100 invoice, KOKH reported.
The mom of three stated that when she referred to as the person out on the invoice being bogus, he started threatening her and have become erratic.
“He threatened me, and stated he was gonna slice my head off, and that’s once I tried to name the police,” she recalled.
Dilyard stated the brute began hurling objects at her earlier than he rushed behind the counter and put his fingers on her.
“I attempted to run off, however he grabbed his fingers round my neck, and pushed me out of the counter house, and that’s once I pulled out my gun and I shot him,” she stated.
The suspect, Kenneth Thompson, fled the shop after he was shot within the abdomen. The 59-year-old made it a number of blocks away from the 7-Eleven earlier than calling 911.
The alleged violent fraudster was taken into custody on the hospital and charged with assault and battery, threatening acts of violence, making an attempt to go counterfeit forex, and violating parole on an excellent felony warrant.
Investigators dominated that Dilyard’s actions have been justified underneath Oklahoma’s stand-your-ground legislation, which permits folks to make use of lethal drive when confronting an imminent risk of dying or severe hurt.
Whereas authorities have cleared the 25-year-old mother, her employer fired her simply days after the scary ordeal on Nov. 17.
“They stated that they have been going to separate from employment due to a violation of coverage,” Dilyard, who had been working the in a single day shift alone from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. for greater than two years, stated.
Dilyard, who nonetheless had a scratch on her neck and burn marks on her finger from firing the gun, instructed the outlet that each one she cared about when she was getting attacked was getting house to her youngsters.
“This was a scenario the place I felt like I used to be put right into a nook between selecting between my job, and my life, and I’m at all times going to decide on my life as a result of there’s those that rely on me. Simply, I’m going, I’m going house, . I have to be right here for my youngsters,” she stated.
She hopes what she endured will drive modifications that higher defend clerks — particularly girls — and guarantee they aren’t afraid to defend themselves when dealing with a life-or-death risk.
“If I’ve identified that there’s a possible that any person is for actual on taking my life away that I’ll do no matter it takes, and I hope that girls see that, they usually’ll do the identical factor,” she stated.
“You have got a proper to defend your self.”
Since dropping her job, Dilyard has launched a GoFundMe to assist her household with bills whereas she’s out of labor and stated she had zero regrets for defending herself.
“We’ve no safety, and we aren’t allowed to hold self protection weapons, together with mace,” she wrote. “That’s is why I made a decision to hold within the first place.”
“I by no means anticipated for me to be on this scenario, however I did what I needed to do to go house to my youngsters. I used to be a great worker, dedicated and decided, however in-between a rock and a tough place I needed to make a fast resolution—lose my life, or lose my job,” she added.
The Put up has reached out to 7-Eleven for remark.
