Russ Ragsdale, a 25-year-old white man, has been charged with a federal firearm crime for allegedly attempting to enter a Texas church armed with a tactical rifle.
Ragsdale was arrested on November 22 and made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Renée Harris Toliver on Monday, as stated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.
Court documents reveal that on November 2, 2023, Ragsdale entered a church in the Dallas area at around 5:05 p.m. during a Mass attended by approximately 100 parishioners.
After the service, he reportedly returned to his vehicle, retrieved a rifle from his trunk, and closed the three gates to the parking lot. At 5:35 p.m., Ragsdale allegedly attempted to re-enter the church with the rifle but was unable to do so because the parishioners had locked the door.
The investigation has also shown a connection to a previous shooting involving Ragsdale. In February 2022, he was arrested in Seagoville, a Dallas suburb, for the felony murder of his roommate. Although the murder case was dismissed later, Ragsdale told law enforcement that he shot his roommate "many times" in self-defense after claiming he was attacked.
During his prior arrest, officers recovered three firearms, including a 10mm Glock and an AR-15 rifle, along with nearly two grams of hallucinogenic mushrooms. Prosecutors noted that an analysis of Ragsdale’s phone revealed a history of drug use, dating back to November 2021, including evidence of purchasing and using hallucinogenic mushrooms in early 2022.
The charge of unlawful possession of a firearm is based on Ragsdale's known drug use, and if convicted, he faces a sentence of up to 15 years in federal prison. The U.S. Attorney's office has not revealed the identity of the church involved in the incident.
Following a 2019 state law following the Sutherland Springs church attack that resulted in 26 deaths and 20 injuries, handguns are now permitted on church premises and other places of worship in Texas.
In 2022, a church in New York State filed a lawsuit regarding a new law prohibiting guns in houses of worship amid growing concerns over church security. The law firm First Liberty Institute represented His Tabernacle Family Church and Pastor Micheal Spencer in challenging the state’s newly enacted Senate Bill S51001, which bans carrying firearms in “sensitive locations,” including houses of worship.
