Defending Myself: 7-Eleven Employee Fired After Shooting Choking Assailant with Personal Gun

Twenty-five-year-old Stephanie Dilyard was on the night shift at an Oklahoma City 7-Eleven when a catastrophic event unfolded. A customer brutally attacked the convenience store worker after she declined his counterfeit $100 bill. Feeling her life was in jeopardy, Dilyard retrieved her firearm from under the counter and shot the assailant in the stomach. The man fled but was apprehended later at a hospital, now facing multiple serious charges. Unfortunately, Dilyard was terminated from her position. The $80 billion chain cited their strict company policy prohibiting self-defense weapons, including pepper spray. A single mother of three, Dilyard expressed that this policy lacks realism and ignited discussions about workplace self-defense. Events transpired shortly before midnight on November 13, when Kenneth Thompson, 59, attempted to purchase snacks with counterfeit currency. Dilyard recognized the deception, leading to the violent confrontation. Despite being protected under Oklahoma’s self-defense law, she received a termination notice the following Monday. As Dilyard grapples with financial challenges, she initiated a GoFundMe to cover expenses during her job search.