A 25-year-old 7-Eleven worker in Oklahoma was forced to make an impossible choice: defend her life from a violent attacker and lose her job, or adhere to company policy and risk her safety. Stephanie Dilyard chose to live.
A Terrifying Ordeal Behind the Counter
The incident began when Stephanie Dilyard, a mother of two, refused to accept a counterfeit $100 bill from a customer during her overnight shift. The customer, identified as 59-year-old Kenneth Thompson, became enraged. Dilyard recounted how he threatened to 'slice her head off', prompting her to attempt to call the police.
Before she could get help, the situation escalated dramatically. Thompson began throwing items at her before moving behind the counter. 'I tried to run off, but he grabbed his hands around my neck, and pushed me out of the counter space,' Dilyard told Fox 25. She further detailed on a GoFundMe page that he also slammed her against a sandwich case. It was at this moment, fearing for her life, that she pulled out her own legally carried firearm and shot Thompson in the stomach.
The Aftermath: Justice and Job Loss
Kenneth Thompson fled the scene but later called 911 himself. He was subsequently arrested at the hospital and now faces multiple charges, including assault and battery, threatening acts of violence, and attempting to pass a fake bill. Oklahoma police confirmed that Dilyard's actions were legally defensible under the state's self-defence law.
However, her employer saw things differently. Despite her justified actions, 7-Eleven terminated Dilyard's employment for violating a strict company policy that prohibits employees from carrying any self-defence weapons, including mace, pepper spray, or personal firearms. This policy, confirmed by current and former employees on forums like Reddit, leaves overnight staff vulnerable, with one user noting they must 'literally find the closest object near you to protect yourself.'
A Choice Between Policy and Survival
Dilyard, who had worked for the company for two years, often alone on the 11 pm to 7 am shift, explained her decision to carry a weapon. On her GoFundMe, she wrote, '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 is why I decided to carry in the first place.'
She framed the moment of the attack as a simple, if brutal, calculation: 'lose my life, or lose my job.' For her children, the choice was clear. She hopes her story empowers other women and vulnerable workers to know their right to self-defence. The Daily Mail has contacted 7-Eleven for comment on the matter.
