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A 25-year-old Oklahoma 7-Eleven clerk, Stephanie Dilyard, found herself in the fight of her life just before midnight Thursday. Then, she found herself out of a job for surviving it.
Dilyard was working the overnight shift alone. It’s something she’d done for more than two years, when a man tried to use a counterfeit $100 bill to buy burritos, beef sticks, and ice cream.
When she refused the fake bill, things turned violent fast.
“He threatened me and said that he was going to slice my head off,” Dilyard told FOX 25. She tried to call police, but the situation exploded.
“He started throwing things at me… he came behind the counter. I tried to run off, but he grabbed his hands around my neck and pushed me out of the counter space,” she explained. That’s when I pulled out my gun and I shot him.”
The suspect, 59-year-old Kenneth Thompson, fled the store, called 911 from a nearby street, and was later arrested at the hospital.
He now faces charges including assault and battery, threatening acts of violence, attempting to pass a fake bill, and a felony warrant for violating parole.
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Police confirmed Dilyard’s use of force is protected under Oklahoma self-defense law.
But instead of support from her employer, Dilyard got a termination notice. She says 7-Eleven corporate called Monday morning and informed her she was being fired for “a violation of policy.”
Namely, using her own gun to stay alive.
Even days later, she still had a scratch on her neck and burns on her finger from firing the pistol.
She said she had no choice: “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… I need to be here for my kids.”
Dilyard hopes her experience serves as a warning, especially for women working alone at night.
“If I know that somebody could be for real in taking my life away, I will do whatever it takes… You have the right to defend yourself,” she said.
FOX 25 reports they have reached out to 7-Eleven for comment but have not yet received a response.
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is a seasoned outdoorsman, lifelong hunter, and the kind of guy who’d rather track whitetails than scroll social media. As an editor for GunsAmerica, he’s got a sharp eye for spotting both solid gear and bad gun laws. Whether he’s deep in the woods or deep in editorial deadlines, Larry brings a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is approach to firearms, hunting, and the great American tradition of self-reliance. If there’s a hot debate on gun rights or the latest in hunting tech, you can bet Larry’s got an opinion—and it’s probably backed up with both facts and field experience.
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That are plenty of high-powered pro-2nd amendment lawyers out there that will jump all over this, it’s our constructional right. I stopped shopping at 7-11’s decades ago because they are just one of many companies that would rather have dead employee’s than allow them to defend themselves.
This will never see a court room. 7-11 will end up forking out millions to keep this out of the hands of a jury at a high-profile civil law suit. This young lady won’t ever have to lower herself to work for a chicken-shit company like 7-11 ever again! They’ll be paying her house payment for years to come. Go get ’em girl!
I think she should sue 7-11 for hostile work environment, unsafe working conditions, and anything else she can. Hopefully she’d win the lawsuie lottery and make the company realize that denying employees basic safe working conditions and basic civil rights comes at a cost.
Disgraceful. She should get a medal.
Let’s help this gal out by putting reviews on Google about 7-11. I already filed a complaint with 7-11 but didn’t know which store it was. Please include the store address and anyone that reads this please leave a bad review for 7-11 or contact them directly. Let’s point out their stupidity, get her a public apology, get her job back, and get her a raise.
Does the Southland corporation still own 7/11 if this is the same response they have had in the past. Southland prefers dead loyal employees to ones who are willing to defend themselves.
There’s only one way to deal with this… Boycott 7-11
they are afraid of getting sued, so money IS more important than lives!