A brave gas station worker claims he was booted by his employer after he opened fire on a group of masked robbers.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Kendrick Watson was working behind the counter of a Circle K in Stow, Ohio, on Oct. Nov. 2, when the harrowing incident occurred. At about 3:30 a.m., masked robbers rammed the storefront repeatedly with a minivan, according to local outlet 3News. The outlet added that the robbers' actions shattered the glass of the storefront and sent an ATM toppling over.
Another minivan appeared shortly after, with 4 masked robbers leaping from the vehicle, making a beeline for the exposed store.
However, the 41-year-old gas station worker wasn't going to sit idly by as the Circle K was pillaged. Watson reportedly produced a firearm and shot at the masked men several times, sending them scattering.
"You just never know what can happen," Watson explained to 3News last week. "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."
Police reportedly are unsure if any of the masked robbers were hit by Watson's shots. However, one of their getaway minivans was hit, as were a gas pump and a post under the gas station's outdoor shelter. Police added that the quick-thinking gas station employee wouldn't be criminally charged following the incident.
Gas Station Employee Gets Some Bad News After Opening Fire on Masked Robbers
That said, according to Watson, there were other repercussions. After working at the Circle K for over 6 years, the gas station employee said his manager told him to turn in his name tag the same day as the incident.
While Watson had anticipated the moment, he was still let down.
"It was just disappointment, really," he admitted. "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."
Watson insists that his actions may have prevented a far worse outcome.
"Who knows what they could've done? So that's why I did what I did: protect myself and my coworker," he speculated.
While Watson may have lost his job, at least one of the would be robbers is facing an altogether different fate.
Peirion D. Jackson, reportedly one of the mask men, was arrested after trying to escape on foot. The 25-year-old Cleveland resident has been charged with robbery, receiving stolen property, and vandalism, per the Akron Beacon Journal. Jackson's bond was set at $100,000 cash.
