photo courtesy of Twitter/screenshot
A Dayton, Ohio, O’Reilly auto parts employee went viral in a video where she was in an altercation with a woman; the employee resolved it by pulling out a gun and shooting her.
According to WHIOTV 7, the gun-toting employee was identified as Ke’Laron Watson, 31, the auto parts worker who fired the shots in a terrifying video. Watson has since admitted guilt and hasn’t attempted to deny shooting the customer. She explained her actions by claiming that she was attacked first. The incident occurred on W. Third Street in Dayton on July 11.
The video showed two women in a heated argument initially that quickly escalated into a physical altercation where the customer can repeatedly be seen punching the employee. Watson ran away, escaping behind the counter, where she reportedly retrieved the weapon and fired at the belligerent customer.
Authorities were called to the scene, and the victim was rushed to the Miami Valley Hospital – but later released without serious complications.
The Ohio woman claimed she fired at the woman in self-defense because she feared the customer would begin hitting her again. Upon police arrival, Watson told police that she was trying to assist the woman in finding a car part, but she became angry and attacked her for an unspecified reason. She later said in court documents that the customer “
beat her about the head with her fists.”The alleged shooter admitted to drawing the gun, saying, “She put her hand on me, and she pulled my hair and everything else. And while she was beating on me, I shot her.”
However, WHIO TV 7 described the video as “the incident showed the attack and Watson retrieving a gun, pointing it at the woman and firing it at her as she walked away.”
Customers in the store at the time commented about the shocking incident. Enoch Bush Jr said, “I don’t know; I’m glad I am not in that situation where I have to choose to defend myself and shoot somebody; I don’t want to be in that position.”
Watson faces two counts of aggravated assault and one count of felonious assault.