New Hampshire gas station clerk says he was fired for pulling gun on robber

Shannon Cothran (Don Himsel/NashuaTelegraph.com)

A New Hampshire gas station clerk who stopped a robbery by pulling out a gun says he was fired hours later for violating a company policy prohibiting staff from carrying firearms.

According to the Telegraph of Nashua, Shannon "Bear" Cothran was working after midnight at a Shell station and pulled out a Ruger LCP .380 handgun after being threatened by a knife-wielding man.

The robber then walked out of the station and Cothran, 29, called police. He was asked to file a report with his employer, Nouria Energy, the Telegraph reported.

According to Cothran, although a store manager and a district manager tried to save his job, he was terminated for violating a company policy that forbids employees from carrying guns.

“I can find another job,” he told the Telegraph. “A paycheck’s a paycheck. I don’t really care where it comes from. I cannot justify in my mind trying to save my job at the risk of not ever seeing my family and friends again.”

Police confirmed that the robber fled moments after Cothran produced his firearm. They are still searching for the man.

Cothran, who has been licensed to carry a concealed weapon since he was 21, says a recent crime increase in the area made him want to carry a weapon for person safety.

“When you’re dealing in seconds, not minutes or hours, you can’t be dependent on anyone else to take care of you,” he told the Telegraph. “You have to be responsible for yourself.”