Walmart recently fired Kristopher Oswald from his job after he rescued a woman who was being assaulted, and now the company has asked him to join back.
Oswald said that he was in his car outside the Walmart store on his break at 2:30 am on Sunday when he saw a man assaulting a blonde woman.
When Oswald asked the woman if she needed help, the man started throwing punches at him and shouted that he will kill him. Even then, Oswald was able to get on top of the man, but two other men caught him from behind and started fighting. The fight came to an end after Livingston County sheriff's deputies arrived.
Oswald was working on a 180-day probation period when the incident occurred. When Oswald returned to the store, the management handed over to him paperwork, which said that due to violation of company's policy on his lunch break, his temporary assignment had come to an end.
As the news of the incident spread through media, many readers expressed their discontent about the company's reaction to Oswald's ordeal. However, Walmart has now issued a statement suggesting that they want Oswald back to work.
"We don't feel as though we should condone our associates getting involved in situations because we don't want them to get hurt. Each situation is different... and once we looked into it, and reviewed video and the police report we realized his intentions were good and we just want him back," said Brooke Buchanan, a spokeswoman for Walmart.
Buchanan also noted that Oswald did break the company's protocol, which requires employees to alert management and call the police when any violence breaks out. The spokeswoman also added that Oswald's firing was probably because the personal interpretation of the store's manager.
Walmart does have a policy, which is aimed to prevent workplace violence that stops employees from assaulting co-workers or opposing shoplifters. However, Oswald may be treated by many readers as a good Samaritan instead.
