Citizens Call PD for Man Walking Downtown With AR-15

Concerned residents called La Grange Police Saturday afternoon after they saw a man walking around town with an AR-15 rifle.

Police Chief David Gilbreath said officers responded and found the man on Lafayette Street. Gilbreath said the 24-year-old man was a La Grange resident.

“He said he was demonstrating his right to carry a firearm,” Gilbreath said. “But no one knew that at the time. He was carrying it across his chest in the neighborhoods. It’s not the smartest place to carry.”

Gilbreath said the rifle had a magazine inserted but it was not loaded with any ammunition. The incident happened around 5:30 p.m. – just minutes after the attempted assassination on former President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania.

“I was watching it on TV when I got the call,” Gilbreath said.

Gilbreath said the man told police he did not know that Trump had been shot.

“He told us he just felt like going out to demonstrate and walk the streets,” Gilbreath said.

Gilbreath said he wished the man would have informed police about the demonstration beforehand. He said the man was not carrying any signs indicating his intent to demonstrate Second Amendment rights.

Gilbreath said it is not illegal to openly carry a firearm peacefully. However, Gilbreath said the man could face criminal charges if he intended to instill fear in anyone. He said police are still investigating if that was the case.

Gilbreath declined to release the man’s name because, so far, no charges have been filed.