A young Oklahoma City mother fired for defending herself from a customer who allegedly tried to strangle her received an overwhelming outpouring of support from the sympathetic community.
Stephanie Dilyard, 25, worked the graveyard shift at 7-Eleven to provide for her toddler. It was just past midnight on Thursday, November 13, when she was working by herself and encountered an irate customer.
Employee found herself with attacker’s hands wrapped around her neck
According to reports, 59-year-old Kenneth Thompson gathered an armload of convenience store burritos, beef sticks, and ice cream. The problem arose when he tried to pay for his goodies with a counterfeit $100 bill.
Dilyard refused to accept the phony currency, and the confrontation quickly spiraled out of control. The clerk told reporters that the customer became violent and attempted to strangle her.
“He threatened me and said he was going to slice my head off,” Dilyard recalled. “I tried to run off, but he grabbed his hands around my neck and pushed me out of the counter space. That’s when I pulled out my gun and I shot him.”
Young clerk was terminated for violating company policy
Thompson fled and was soon taken into custody as he sought medical treatment for his gunshot wound. He is charged with assault and battery, threatening acts of violence, attempting to pass a counterfeit bill, and a parole violation.
That should have been the end of the situation, but for Dilyard, it was only the beginning.
She was informed that company policy prevented her from carrying a firearm despite the obvious danger of working overnights in a convenience store. Dilyard said she faced a choice no young mother should have to make.
“This was a situation where I felt like I was put in a corner between choosing between my job and my life, and I’m always going to choose my life because there’s people that depend on me,” she declared after learning of her termination. “I need to be here for my kids.”
Dilyard suffered a scratch on her neck but was otherwise uninjured. Her GoFundMe raised a remarkable $27k to support her young family through this crisis.
According to Attorney Noble McIntyre, “It’s unfortunate she didn’t shoot him twice.”
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