A disgruntled Army veteran was arrested with a rifle and unregistered ammunition near Vice President Kamala Harris’ official residence at the U.S. Naval Observatory on Wednesday, March 17.
Identified as 31-year-old Paul Murray of San Antonio, Texas, the suspect is now facing several counts of weapons charges for being in possession of an “AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, 113 rounds of unregistered ammunition, and five 30 round magazines,” a police report obtained by People magazine said.
Charges include: carrying a dangerous weapon, carrying a rifle or shotgun outside of a business, possession of unregistered ammunition and possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device.
Murray was the subject of a Criminal Intelligence Bulletin from College Station, Texas, police issued March 10 that was obtained by KSAT.
The bulletin details erratic behavior by Murray, who police say went to the station and “complained he’s not getting enough support from the VA or local police” on March 1. He followed it up with a visit on March 3, during which he said, “he didn’t want to hurt himself, but might hurt someone else ‘if it was justified.’”
The report also states Murray believed he was “drugged” or “poisoned” while on a recent trip to Japan and said he was discharged from the Army for schizophrenia but no longer took his medication.
A former UAV drone operator, Murray was already on police’s radar as a result of the bulletin. A D.C. police spokesperson said officers responded “at approximately 12:12 pm, to the 3400 block of Massachusetts Avenue, NW in reference to a suspicious person based on an intelligence bulletin that originated from Texas, who was detained by US Secret Service.”
Officials have yet to release Murray’s reason for being near Harris’ residence, but Fox5 reported he told his mother he was in Washington to “take care of his problem.” His car was parked in a nearby garage, where the weapons and ammunition were recovered.
Harris, nor her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, was at the observatory, as she was holding virtual meetings and Emhoff is on a tour of New Mexico – his first solo trip since Harris took office. The couple are also temporarily staying at Blair House across the street from the White House while the official residence is being renovated.
