Kids & Family
Outpouring 'Overwhelming' for Gun-Toting Ex-Clerk
'The bad guys will continue to win as long as we let them.' - Bear Cothran
What a difference a day makes.
On Tuesday, Bear Cothran was just a guy who'd just lost his job, quietly regrouping at home.
Then, stories began circulating online about the circumstances of his job loss – while working third shift at a local Shell convenience store on Oct. 14, Cothran was confronted by a robber with a knife who demanded money and threatened to kill him. Cothran, licensed to carry a concealed weapon, pulled out his gun and scared the robber off. Hours later, Cothran got word he'd been fired for violating his company's "no weapons" policy.
Cothran knew there'd likely be consequences, and accepted them after his direct supervisors went to bat for him in hopes of saving his job.
>Related story: Official statement provided by Nouria Energy Corp. in response to this incident.<
Since Tuesday, Cothran's phone has been ringing off the hook and he's been receiving emails and unexpected gestures of kindness, from friends and strangers alike.
"I'm really very shocked," Cothran said Wednesday morning, after fielding a call from Tracy Gagnon, a woman who read about his plight and decided to launch a gofundme.com online fundraising campaign.
"I just talked to her on the phone, and it's very much appreciated, the outpouring of support – completely amazing and totally unasked for," Cothran said. "What's most shocking to me is the fact that it's turned into a nationwide topic of conversation."
Cothran's story, first posted by a friend on Facebook and picked up here on Nashua Patch late Monday night, is picking up steam as it's being shared across social network sites and other local and national news organizations. He's heard from friends still working at the Shell that they've had calls from places including Spokane, Wash., Texas, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina.
Find out what's happening in Nashuawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"I'm speechless, really. I don't know exactly how to deal with this, or express my gratitude," Cothran said.
As for why she launched an online fundraising campaign for a virtual stranger, Gagnon said she was simply moved by his story."I just was really feeling like he did the right thing and I was feeling upset for him. He sounds responsible and prepared, and that he knew what the consequences would be, yet he took it in stride. He took the consequence like an adult for deciding to protect his life, which is more important than a company policy," Gagnon said.
"Anyway, this sounds like a family that will really be needing money – he was a hard-working person with the same company for 10 years. At first I was hoping someone would do something to help him. Then I thought, 'Why don't I do something?' So I did. It was just something I could do to help," she said.
Find out what's happening in Nashuawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
A friend of Cothran's, Chris Fowler, has also launched a gofundme.com site, for similar reasons.
Another friend and local small business owner also surprised Cothran with a monetary gift.
And yet another friend, Kevin Boyle, is trying to organize a peaceful protest near the gas station at 2 p.m. on Oct. 19.
And Nashua Patch blogger Kevin Kervick posted a blog entitled, "Offer Bear a Job," urging anyone with the power to hire someone to consider reaching out to Cothran, who had worked as a clerk at the Shell station for 10 years.
"It's been completely overwhelming, mind blowing – all of it," Cothran said. "Frankly, that this has become such a topic of conversation, and the fact that what I did is so remarkable tells me that what we really need in the world are more people to be willing to take a stand."
He said otherwise, the bad guys will continue to win.
"They will keep winning, so long as people let them, and that's the real issue here," Cothran said.
Click here to donate to the Help Bear Cothran Get Back Lost Wages fund site.
Click here to donate to the Shannon 'Bear' Cothran Fund.
Related stories:
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
