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An Ohio gas station worker claims he was fired after he shot at a group of masked men who rammed a minivan into the store during an attempted robbery.
Kendrick Watson, 41, was sitting behind the register at a Circle K in Stow, Ohio, around 3:30 a.m. on Nov. 2, when four would-be robbers repeatedly drove a stolen minivan into the storefront, shattering the glass entrance and dislodging an ATM, police said, according to 3News.
A second minivan then pulled up outside the convenience store as four masked men jumped out of the vehicle and rushed toward the store.
Watson grabbed his gun and fired seven shots, sending the brazen crew fleeing as he defended the store and his 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.”
Watson’s gunshots struck one of the getaway minivans, a gas pump and a support post beneath the station’s canopy. Police said they did not know whether any of the men had been injured, but confirmed Watson would not face criminal charges.
Watson, who had worked at the Circle K for six years, said his manager called later that day and told him not to return.
“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.
One of the men, Peirion D. Jackson, 25, of Cleveland, was arrested after fleeing on foot.
He faces charges of robbery, receiving stolen property and vandalism, according to the Akron Beacon Journal. His bond was set at $100,000 cash.
At least three others escaped in a stolen brown 1997 Chrysler Town & Country minivan, last seen heading west on Steels Corners Road toward State Route 8.
Police said both vehicles used in the attempted robbery had been stolen from Cleveland.
Police took Watson’s firearm during the investigation but later returned it.
Ohio’s Stand Your Ground law allows people to use force to defend themselves or others against someone unlawfully and forcefully entering their property.
Watson has since launched a GoFundMe to help cover his expenses while looking for another job.
“It was a traumatic experience,” Watson said on the crowdfunding site.
