Posted on 10/16/2013 6:02:14 AM PDT by raccoonradio
Bear Cothran works–or rather, worked–at a Shell station in Nashua, NH. Over the weekend, in the wee hours of the morning, a large guy with a knife entered the store, demanded money and, according to Cothran, threatened to kill him if he didn’t cooperate.
Cothran is a lawful New Hampshire gun owner, he had his gun on him, so he drew the gun and the robber left post-haste. Yay, the good guys win!
Uh…no.
At 11:20 [Monday] morning, Bear received a phone call from his boss, informing him that, in spite of his status as a 10-year employee in good standing and both the store and district managers going to bat for him, he was being terminated. Nouria Energy, the franchise owner of the store (as well as the majority of the other Shell stations in the southern NH area), has a policy prohibiting employees from carrying weapons while on the clock. Bear was let go without any manner of severance for violating this policy.
Boo, the “your guns scare us!” crowd wins.
For his part, Bear seems to have the right perspective:
“I have a fiancee who I love very much, step-children I love, our first grandchild is due in December. Given the situation, and the way the man who tried to rob me was acting, I truly believe if I didn’t defend myself I wasn’t going to be coming home to see my family,” said Cothran.
“I can find another job, one way or another. I may be out of employment for months, but I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Nobody’s hurt, everybody gets to go home, that’s what matters to me,” Cothran said.
The store has the right to set policy. The store has the right to enforce that policy. And the store also has the right to overlook/temporarily suspend/change its policy.
I’ll say this: If I’m a robber with a knife, I’m headed to that Shell station. Management has done the hardest part of my job for me.
Bear with a gun
I’d sue.And sue...and sue...and sue again.
NASHUA – When Shannon “Bear” Cothran was threatened by a knife-wielding robber on Monday morning, he didn’t think twice about what to do. Cothran, who was working after midnight at the Shell gas station (on Main St.) in Nashua, pulled out his Ruger LCP .380 handgun. The robber turned and walked out the door, and Cothran called the police, bringing a swift end to the robbery attempt.
Cothran believes his decision to carry a firearm might have saved his life Monday morning. But the owners of the gas station took a different view.
Cothran says he was fired only a few hours later for violating a company policy that forbids store clerks from carrying guns.
Now out of a job, Cothran said he feels the company policy is irresponsible. But with a grandson on the way, he stands by his decision to carry a firearm for protection.
More at link above. Howie Carr list ping
Sue for ownership of the gas station.
Fire the boss.
Sell the business.
Head south.
Live well.
Bummer. Those jobs don’t pay that much to begin with.
Idiots. They just mounted a big neon sign on their store that say "Rob me! Nobody will stop you!"
The best explanation is that SHELL was in on the heist.
Are there others? How many?
A smart private business owner should seek this man out and hire him on the spot.
My first thought: sue, sue the pants off ‘em.
Second thought: move on gladly.
Third thought: maybe do both.
These days, employers can’t force you to leave your civil rights at the threshold, unless they’re your 2A rights and some of your 1A’s. So he probably has a case, but why would he want to stay with that job?
Police confirmed that the man approached the clerk and brandished a knife, but fled moments later when the clerk produced a firearm.
Cothran, 29, said he had just finished helping another customer when the would-be robber entered the store, walked behind the counter and threatened his life.
“He had the knife cocked back. It looked like he was going to stab me,” Cothran said. “I took several steps back, produced my sidearm, and informed him it was a bad idea and he didn’t want to do it, and he left.”
Nashua police are asking the public for help identifying the man, who was described as a white or Hispanic male, between 6 feet and 6 feet, 2 inches tall, with a medium build. Police are circulating an image of the suspect. They also recovered a piece of evidence – a black-and-gray Coleman jacket with a red collar, which the suspect discarded while he was running from the scene.
(further down):
Nashua police Lt. Denis Linehan said there are pros and cons when employees who might be the victims of crime choose to arm themselves. If a robber is also carrying a firearm, the situation can potentially escalate into a shooting. In the case of Monday morning’s robbery, Linehan said it appears the clerk took appropriate action when he was threatened. He said police encourage anyone who carries a firearm to undergo safety training.
“The first thing that we want to make sure is that people are safe,” he said. “In this situation, the clerk was presented with a deadly weapon. He was in close proximity to the suspect when the deadly weapon was displayed to him. The clerk, from the information I have, took the appropriate action in terms of how he felt threatened, in presenting the firearm.”
Proud to be a GUN FREE ZONE. Robbers welcome!
As others have said for other cases, it's better to be fired by one than carried by six.
So the new stick up line is-—— “Hand over all the money or I will get you fired”..
from comments to the MichaelGraham.com article:
>>(link to pic) This is the building where Shell Oil executives work. It has cardkeyed entrances and on-site security personnel. If only the Executives at Shell Oil cared this much about the safety and well being of the people selling their products at 24-hour gas stations.
>>lets see how many times that place gets robbed now....
>>Don’t get angry, get involved. Email Nouria Energy and tell them they no longer have your business. http://www.nouriaenergy.com/contact-us.html
Just wondering....why if it happened that early in the AM did he tell anyone?
Only cops get to go home to their families.
The proles can die/leftist think
Under New Hampshire law employers can fire you for any reason and without notice so he wouldn't have grounds for a suit. But he's alive and that's the important part. Finding another job as a convenience store clerk probably won't be that hard, but I suggest he read the policy manual very carefully before accepting it.
On video?????
Yes, so true!
Screw the policy manual. If you work doing a job where your life may be threatened, you should carry. Period.
You can always get another job but not another life.
The State cannot tell you that you are able to carry.
A private employer is well within his rights to tell you not to bring guns to work. In fact, the owner’s insurance company probably voids any thefts or damages if the employee pulls out a gun and shoots someone.
I know it sounds bad, but it is there to protect the employees and customers. Having worked at a bank where two people were shot dead in the 80’s, I can tell you that it is better to just hand over the money and be done with it.
If this is your home, the story is different.
I have to say that I probably wouldn’t have fired this guy, but I certainly would have suspended him.
But the owner does not come in and review the video every day.
The guy did what he thought was right. But he must not be all that bright. I know that carrying was not allowed at any place I’ve ever worked. And I have worked around a lot more money than this guy had in his convenience store.
May have been company policy to report incidents—also prob surveillance video was running.
Ooh, as a matter of fact—there was.
And if you are fired with cause, NH is horrible at unemployment cases. This guy is out on the street. Period.
Wow! He could be a cop!
..though Ch 9/WMUR’s report only shows a still from that video. “Bear” was his boss and dist. manager did fight for him to keep his job but it was a corporate decision
I agree 100%. He broke their policy and got fired for it. It may not be fair but the important thing is that he likely saved himself from death or injury in doing so. He's going to be around to hold that grandchild he's expecting. No job is worth missing out on that.
Bear SAID his boss, that should say
“A private employer is well within his rights to tell you not to bring guns to work.”
Oh, I quite agree. Nevertheless, ultimately some judge decides, or some convocation of lawyers agree to settle.
So he has a case.
Oooh, lookie:
“In this situation, the clerk was presented with a deadly weapon. He was in close proximity to the suspect when the deadly weapon was displayed to him. The clerk, from the information I have, took the appropriate action in terms of how he felt threatened, in presenting the firearm.”
Someone’s gonna win a lawsuit.
No, that’s just establishing a viable self-defense claim, should the state decide to prosecute (which they doubtless won’t). The wrongful termination suit is a nonstarter. Freedom of association, it can work for you and it can work against you. Tough break, but at least he’s alive to complain about it.
Another reason to avoid Shell businesses.
The best strategy for the public is to avoid such an unsafe gas station, but should anyone suffer from a robbery at a Shell gas station they'll know that the owners may well have contributed to their injury by establishing a policy which is likely to increase the risk of robbery at their business.
"This land's not your land, this land is my land
I've got a shotgun, you haven't got one
If you don't get off, I'll blow your head off..."
From the picture on the thread, I think he could find immediate employment with the Duck dynasty folks if he’s willing to relocate to Louisiana :-)
I’d encourage folks to boycott the Shell stations in NH owned by that franchise and let it be know why.
And as a free citizen there's not enough force in the universe to make me EVER buy gas from this insane Shell station...
Seems to me Nouria Energy is more worried about their liability exposure than the safety of their employees; not exactly a "leftist" orientation.
That assumes you are done with it after handing over the money, but that's the robber's choice, not yours.
You assume too much about the polite intentions of the crook.
I think it is a lower form of life robbing convenience stores than robbing banks. A family member was shot just for the hell of it by a guy robbing a convenience store.
“Under New Hampshire law employers can fire you for any reason and without notice so he wouldn’t have grounds for a suit. But he’s alive and that’s the important part. Finding another job as a convenience store clerk probably won’t be that hard, but I suggest he read the policy manual very carefully before accepting it.”
Maybe so, but the locals should be boycotting all the Shell stations owned by these turds. That would hurt more than any individual lawsuit. Just put them out of business.
The REAL explanation is that Shell, like every other robbery target business, doesn’t want gun fights on their property. Don’t fight back has been the rule in the service industry for at least 30 years, the money is insured, getting people killed in a cross fire is bad for business.
No disagreement on the scumminess of the clients.
I am simply trying to explain the rules put in place by the owners.
In many states the liabilities of shooting someone who is trying to rob you are astronomical. I do not believe that NH has a stand your ground rule, I could be mistaken. I know in MA you practically have to walk the robber to his car, wash his windows, and ask if there is anything else you can do for him.
I appreciate the guy’s dilemma. He just picked the wrong store to work in.
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