Police Confirm Clerk Thwarted Robber With Gun

"I can tell you that the clerk was armed, and so when the suspect presented a knife, he responded by showing his gun, and the suspect fled," Linehan said. 

"But having that information out there makes our job harder. Now we have nothing that transpired between the victim and the suspect that's not public information," Linehan said.

It is one of the hazards of the information age, and particularly social media, Linehan said.

Nashua Police on Tuesday released basic information about the attempted robbery, which happened Oct. 14 at about 3 a.m. at the Shell gas station at 301 Main Street. Linehan also released a surveillance photo and a second photo, showing a jacket believed to be worn by the suspect, which was found by police during a search of the area.

The robber is described as a white or Hispanic male, between 6-feet and 6-feet-2 inches tall, with a medium build.

"What I'm left with is 20 unsolved armed robberies," Linehan said. 

"I know everybody is happy that a clerk scared off a suspect. I realize it's newsworthy. And I understand it's been posted on Facebook that, because of having the gun and violating company policy, this clerk lost his job. That, I can't confirm. But certain details of a crime can help us identify someone. You know, it happens sometimes that people will confess to a crime they didn't commit, whether it's for the notoriety, or whatever. When we limit the information we release, it's with good reason," Linehan said.

Attempts by Nashua Patch to reach Cothran for comment have been unsuccessful. However, a clerk working the day shift on Tuesday at the Shell station, when asked if it was true that Cothran had lost his job, said, simply, "Bear doesn't work here anymore."

Anyone with information about this crime is asked to contact the Criminal Investigation Division at 603-594-3500 or the Nashua Crimeline at 603-589-1665.

Editor's Note: The Shell Station is owned and operated by Mass.- based Nouria Energy Corp., which provided a written statement in response to a request for comment for this story, which you can read here.