Sunday, January 1, 2017

Waffle House fires mother of two for using her gun to defend coworkers and patrons from thieves

On Thursday three robbers walked into The Waffle House in Newnan, Georgia and sat for a meal before they threatened to kill everyone in the restaurant.

When they left with their loot, employee Heather Burkinshaw-Stanley went to her car, pulled out her weapon, fired it into the air, and chased the would-be thieves, WSB-TV reported.

So did she get a raise? A bonus? Employee of the Month award? Or even a pat on the back?
No. She got a boot out the door as the restaurant chain fired the hero on Saturday.

“I didn’t know if they had guns. I didn’t know if they were going to their vehicle to get another one and could come back and try to get to the safe, so my instinct was to go to my car and get the gun,” she told WSB-TV.

For trying to protect their Waffle House and trying to protect their money and to get their money back, they let me go,” she said.

Via Twitter: http://www.bizpacreview.com/2017/01/01/waffle-house-fires-mother-two-using-gun-defend-coworkers-patrons-thieves-430495?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

10 comments:

chickelit said...

She probably violated some corporate policy against trying to stop crimes like theft and shoplifting. It all stems from liability. You can't encourage employees to be heroes -- things could go wrong and escalate badly -- hence the liability. Hopefully, this should get her could PR and another job.

chickelit said...

"good" not "could"

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Good.

edutcher said...

So now we boycott Waffle House.

The Dude said...

A couple of things - most property crimes are not capital offenses, and if the perp is fleeing, then whatever threat there might have been is now leaving the scene - that is to say, the clerk is no longer in fear of his or her life.

Firing into the air is the kind of thing Biden recommends, so that alone makes it a suspect move.

I am with WH on this - that clerk did the wrong thing and behaved recklessly.

The only thing more reckless than that boneheaded move is eating at a Waffle House.

Leland said...

I don't think Waffle House needs to be boycotted, unless for dietary health reasons.

Agree with Chick's point about liability, and Sixty's points. Her actions barely qualify for self-defense (I would hope officers and prosecutors would leave her alone), but pretty dumb overall.

ndspinelli said...

If you have ever eaten in a Waffle House you have probably experienced the camaraderie. They are compact, and the employees and regulars become almost like family. Yes, liability is a factor in this. Liability is a factor in TOO MUCH of what occurs in our litigious country.

Chip Ahoy said...

I shot an arrow into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where;
For, so swiftly it flew, the sight
Could not follow it in its flight.

Then I shot a bullet in the air
And where it lands I flat don't care
It dissolves to atoms, turns to mist
for pointless bullets shot
gravity does not exist for all I know
Just shooting one relieves the itch

*bonk* Son of a bitch! That hurts.


AllenS said...

Someone needs to set up a Go-Fund-Me (is that what its called?) for her.

Leland said...

They already did, Allen. It was at the bottom of Lem's linked article. She's got twice her goal.