A Domino’s pizza delivery driver in Florida has been placed on leave after he shot at two masked men who attempted to rob him early Wednesday morning.
Slayde Henry, 24, was in his vehicle outside of the pizza store in Hollywood, Fla. when the two men approached. A father who delivers pizzas as a side job, Henry said that the two masked men attempted to rob him. But rather than meet their demands, Henry, who has worked at the store for several months, pulled out his gun and opened fire. One of the suspects, 24-year-old Adalberto Hernandez, was hit and died at the scene. The other man fled.
“In response to two armed males coming up to him, he reacted and shot at one of the suspects,” Hollywood police department spokeswoman Officer Meredith Elrich said, according to CBS Miami.
“He was usually pretty calm, pretty chill type of guy,” Henry’s co-worker, Daniel Tymecki, told WSVN. “I don’t know what happened that caused him to shoot, but obviously his life was threatened or he felt that it was threatened.”
Domino’s corporate policy prohibits employees from carrying guns while delivering pizzas or while working inside of company stores. The no-guns policy, which most other pizza chains employ, has been criticized since delivery drivers are at increased risk for targeting by criminals since they often carry money with them late at night.
A spokesman for Domino’s tells The Daily Caller that Henry’s self-defense gun use will not trigger an “automatic termination.”
Right now, the driver is on paid leave pending the outcome of the investigation,” Domino’s corporate spokesman Tim McIntyre told TheDC. “Every situation is different and it’s far too early to make a determination like that. We’ve offered him counseling should he need it after such a traumatic experience.”
“(I’m) glad he was armed,” Miguel Nieves told WPLG. The daughter of Nieves’ girlfriend was working at the Hollywood Domino’s when the attempted robbery occurred. “I’m glad he was able to protect them. If not, it could have been worse.”