Fired for Surviving: What Circle K's Gun Policy Means for Workers

A Circle K clerk in Stow, Ohio, shot at robbery suspects who rammed their store with a stolen minivan and rushed the entrance, and police cleared him of any wrongdoing. Circle K fired him anyway, citing its no-guns workplace policy.

Snapshot

On November 2, 2026, clerk Kendrick Watson opened fire after suspects in two stolen minivans rammed the storefront and charged inside. Stow police declined to file charges, calling the shooting lawful, but Watson says Circle K terminated him for violating its zero-tolerance firearms policy, as reported by AmmoLand's David Codrea.

Key points

• The incident: Suspects rammed the Stow Circle K's glass entrance multiple times before several got out and approached the store in broad daylight, across from the municipal courthouse.
• Watson's account: He told WKYC he fired "to protect myself and my coworker" once suspects rushed inside, fearing for both their lives.
• No charges, no job: Stow police found the shooting justified, but Watson, a six-year Circle K employee, says the company fired him for carrying in violation of its workplace gun policy.
• Collateral damage cited: Codrea notes Watson's shots also struck a gas pump and a canopy support pole, the kind of outcome corporate policies are often designed to avoid.
• Pattern of risk: AmmoLand points to multiple past cases of clerks killed after complying with "give them what they want" policies, framing Watson's firing as part of a broader corporate risk-management tradeoff.

Quick take

Codrea argues this case boils down to a blunt question for any employee working under a no-carry policy: is the job worth your life. He frames corporate gun bans as a liability calculation that treats replaceable clerks as an acceptable cost, while the people actually facing armed suspects bear the real risk. Worth knowing before you clock in anywhere with a strict weapons policy.

Read the full story: ammoland.com