Federal authorities report that Russell Alan Ragsdale allegedly tried to enter a Dallas church with a tactical rifle and is now facing a federal charge.
Police say the man with a tactical rifle closed the gates to the parking lot before trying to re-enter the church while 100 people were inside. A man who talked him into dropping the weapon believes he may have wanted to shoot people inside.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Press Release
Man Who Attempted to Enter Church With Rifle Charged With Gun Crime
Monday, November 25, 2024
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Texas
A man who recently attempted to enter a church with a tactical rifle has been charged with a federal firearm crime stemming from a 2022 shooting, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.
Russell Alan Ragsdale, 25, was charged via criminal complaint with possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of a controlled substance. He was arrested on Friday and made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Renée Harris Toliver Monday morning.
According to court documents, Mr. Ragsdale entered a church at 5:05 p.m. on Nov. 2 alongside about 100 parishioners celebrating mass. After attending services, Ragsdale returned to his vehicle and allegedly retrieved a rifle from his trunk. He then closed the three gates to the parking lot. At 5:35 p.m., Mr. Ragsdale allegedly attempted to re-enter the church with his rifle, but could not gain access because the parishioners locked the doors.
During the investigation of the incident at the church, agents learned about a shooting involving Mr. Ragsdale, who was arrested on Feb. 3, 2022 in Seagoville for the felony murder of his roommate. (The murder case was later dismissed.) At the time, Mr. Ragsdale told Seagoville law enforcement that his roommate attacked him and claimed he “shot him many times” in self-defense. Officers recovered three firearms, including a 10mm Glock and an AR-15 rifle, and almost two grams of hallucinogenic mushrooms from the residence. An analysis of Mr. Ragsdale’s phone showed a history of drug use dating back to November 2021, as well as evidence of purchasing and using hallucinogenic mushrooms on Feb. 2, 2022.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. Like all defendants, Mr. Ragsdale is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in federal prison.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office and the Dallas Police Department conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives’ Dallas Field Division, the Seagoville Police Department, and the Texas Department of Public Safety, which participated in the murder investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jongwoo Chung is prosecuting the case.
Contact
Erin Dooley
Press Officer
214-659-8707
[email protected]
Updated November 26, 2024