An Oklahoma City 7-Eleven clerk who shot a man while he was allegedly strangling her has lost her job. Stephanie Dilyard was working the graveyard shift alone on Nov. 13 when a transaction involving a counterfeit $100 bill turned violent.
Authorities say 59-year-old Kenneth Thompson became irate after Dilyard refused to accept the fake cash. He reportedly threatened to cut her head off before storming behind the counter.
“I tried to run off, but he grabbed his hands around my neck,” Dilyard told local outlet KOKH Fox 25. Pinning her in the corner, Thompson began to squeeze. That’s when Dilyard drew her weapon and shot him in the stomach.
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Police quickly ruled the shooting was self-defense. 7-Eleven corporate took a different view. Despite the life-or-death circumstances, the company’s HR department fired Dilyard shortly after the incident for violating store policy regarding weapons.
Thompson was arrested at the hospital while receiving treatment. Dilyard, a mother of a three-year-old who noted she barely sleeps between her shifts and childcare, launched a GoFundMe to cover expenses while she looks for work. It has since raised over $28,000.
The termination sparked immediate backlash from gun rights advocates. John Commerford of the NRA-ILA criticized corporate policies that disarm workers, stating that no American “should have to choose between survival and keeping their job.”
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