Supporters Raise Tens of Thousands of Dollars for Clerk Fired After Acting in Self-Defense

An Oklahoma City woman who says she was let go from her job at 7-Eleven after defending herself against an assault by an irate customer has found plenty of support online. 

25-year-old Stephanie Dilyard drew her legally carried pistol and shot 59-year-old Kenneth Thompson when he allegedly tried to strangle her after she refused to accept a counterfeit $100 bill. Dilyard isn't facing any charges for protecting herself on the job, but because she violated 7-Eleven's policy requiring employees to be disarmed while on the clock, she's now looking for new employment. 

In a GoFundMe set up by Dilyard, she explains that she's worked the graveyard shift for the past two years before going home to her toddler, and her concern about a lack of security was the reason she chose to carry a gun while at work. 

As many already know, us overnight clerks are by ourselves. We have no security, and we are not allowed to carry self defense weapons, including mase. However, working conditions, it was not realistic for me to be able to follow policy AND be able to go home to my kids if a situation happened. That’s is why I decided to carry in the first place.

I never expected for me to be in this situation, but I did what I had to do to go home to my kids. I was a good employee, committed and determined, but in-between a rock and a hard place I had to make a quick decision—lose my life, or lose my job.

So far the GoFundMe has raised more than $27,000 for Dilyard, and her firing has spurred a broader conversation in Oklahoma City and beyond about the company's disarmament policy for workers. 

Attorney Noble McIntyre commented, "It's unfortunate she didn't shoot him twice," highlighting the tension between self-defense rights and employment policies.

McIntyre noted that Oklahoma is an at-will employment state, allowing employers to terminate workers for almost any reason, provided it doesn't violate public policy.

However, he emphasized that Oklahoma's stand-your-ground law supports Dilyard's right to defend herself.

Ed Blau, a criminal defense attorney, explained the company's stance, stating, "7-Eleven as a corporation, they do not want all of their employees packing heat while working all over the country. That presents a tremendous liability risk for them." Blau suggested that Dilyard might face challenges in pursuing a wrongful termination lawsuit, as the company's policy was clear.

The case raises questions about the responsibility of employers to ensure the safety of their employees.

Blau noted, "If an employee of a convenience store such as 7-Eleven is injured or even killed while working and that store did not provide either adequate safety measures or security, that store could be held liable for putting their employee in an unsafe space."

I get the liability concerns, but as Blau pointed out, it cuts both ways. Companies like 7-Eleven don't want to get sued if an armed employee engages in a criminal act while they're on the clock, but the C-suite executives should be equally concerned about the safety of their employees. If I was working third shift at a store where there was no outside security and I was the only person behind the counter, I'd make the same decision Dilyard did. It's easier to find a new job than a new life, after all. 

Hopefully Dilyard won't be out of work for long, but it's good to see so many folks come to her aid after she was fired for violating company policy... and protecting herself against an on-the-job assault. 

Editor’s Note: The radical left will stop at nothing to enact their radical gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.

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