North Carolina Man Pleads to Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition Stemming from Mall Standoff

Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated that James Jacob Parrish, Jr., age 26, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, pled guilty in federal court to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1). Chief United States District Judge Terry L. Wooten accepted the guilty plea and will impose sentence after he has reviewed the presentence report, which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.

Evidence presented in court established that at approximately 8:00pm on Sunday, March 26, 2017, deputies with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (“RCSD”) were dispatched to an alarm and shots-fired call at Columbia Mall on Two Notch Road. The mall was closed at that time. Deputies located a vehicle registered to Parrish parked in the median of the mall parking lot with a flat front tire and noticed bullet holes in the glass door of the Sears Automotive Department with spent 9mm shell casings lying on the sidewalk in front of the door. Upon making entry into the Sears Automotive Department, deputies noticed an interior glass door had been shot out as well.

The RCSD’s Special Response Team (“SRT”) responded to the scene and ultimately located Parrish barricaded inside an interior room. SRT tried to negotiate with Parrish to surrender peacefully and during the negotiations, Parrish made threats to shoot the officers. After unsuccessful negotiations, SRT made entry into the room and encountered Parrish pointing a loaded Kahr 9mm handgun at them. SRT was able to safely apprehend Parrish and placed him under arrest. Parrish was transported to a local hospital for medical treatment for a foot injury he sustained when he fell through a ceiling while trying to escape detection. While at the hospital, Parrish attempted to take a handgun from a deputy.

Parrish is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms and ammunition based upon his prior North Carolina state convictions for carrying a concealed firearm (2002), possession of stolen goods (2003), possession of cocaine (2003), sell of cocaine (2003), possession with intent to distribute counterfeit currency (2003), second degree murder, second degree kidnapping, attempted robbery with a deadly weapon, and sell of cocaine (2005). Parrish had been released from a North Carolina prison in 2015.    

Parrish faces a maximum of 10 years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, and 3 years of supervised release on the felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition charge.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the RCSD and was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project CeaseFire initiative, which aggressively prosecutes firearm cases. Assistant United States Attorney Stacey D. Haynes of the Columbia office handled the case.

#####