An Ohio convenience-store employee says he was fired after opening fire on masked men who used a minivan to crash into the business during an attempted robbery.
Kendrick Watson, 41, was behind the register at a Circle K in Stow at about 3:30 a.m. Nov. 2 when four would-be robbers repeatedly rammed a stolen minivan into the storefront, shattering the entrance and knocking an ATM loose, police said, according to 3News.
A second minivan soon stopped outside the store. Four masked men got out and ran toward the entrance.
Watson retrieved his firearm and fired seven rounds, prompting the group to flee as he tried to protect himself and a co-worker.
“You just never know what can happen,” Watson told the outlet Friday. “I was more shocked than terrified. Once they rushed the store, I thought my life and my co-worker’s life at the time was in danger, so I opened fire to protect myself and my co-worker.”
The gunfire hit one of the fleeing minivans, a gas pump and a support column beneath the station canopy. Police said they did not know whether any of the suspects had been wounded, but confirmed that Watson would not be charged.
Watson said he had worked at the Circle K for six years before his manager called later that day and told him not to come back.
“It was just disappointment, really. I knew I was going to get fired because they have [a] no gun, no weapons policy, so I knew that was coming, but my only issue with that was, obviously, this was an extreme situation,” he said.
“Who knows what they could’ve done? So that’s why I did what I did: protect myself and my coworker,” Watson added.
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Police arrested one of the suspects, 25-year-old Peirion D. Jackson of Cleveland, after he fled the scene on foot.
According to the Akron Beacon Journal, Jackson faces charges of robbery, receiving stolen property and vandalism. His bond was set at $100,000 cash.
At least three other suspects escaped in a stolen brown 1997 Chrysler Town & Country minivan. The vehicle was last seen traveling west on Steels Corners Road toward State Route 8.
Authorities said both minivans involved in the attempted robbery had been stolen in Cleveland.
Police seized Watson’s firearm during the investigation but later returned it.
Ohio’s Stand Your Ground law permits people to use force to defend themselves or others against someone who unlawfully and forcefully enters their property.
Watson has since created a GoFundMe campaign to help pay his expenses as he searches for a new job.
“It was a traumatic experience,” Watson wrote on the crowdfunding page.
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