An Ohio gas station employee says he lost his job after opening fire on masked men who used a minivan to smash into the store 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 suspects repeatedly drove a stolen minivan into the business, breaking through the glass entrance and knocking an ATM loose, police told 3News.
A second minivan soon arrived. Four masked men got out and moved quickly toward the convenience store.
Watson retrieved his gun 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 were in danger, so I opened fire to protect myself and my co-worker.”
Police said Watson’s bullets hit one of the fleeing minivans, a gas pump and a support column beneath the station canopy. Investigators could not determine whether any suspects were wounded, but authorities confirmed 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,” he said. “But my only issue was that this was obviously an extreme situation.”
“Who knows what they could’ve done? That’s why I did what I did—to protect myself and my co-worker,” Watson added.
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Police arrested one suspect, 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.
Investigators said both minivans involved in the attempted robbery had been stolen in Cleveland.
Police confiscated 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 when facing someone unlawfully and forcefully entering 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.
