A Columbus military veteran has been charged with carrying a concealed weapon after authorities say he brought a handgun into a church this weekend.
Rodrick Mosley, 25, of 1012 11th St. S., was taken into custody Sunday at Shiloh Full Gospel Church. Officers with the Columbus Police Department had gone to the 19th Street South church after receiving reports that someone had brought a backpack containing a handgun into the 10 a.m. service.
Rev. Freddie Edwards Sr. told The Dispatch on Monday that members of the church’s security team — of which Mosley’s father is a member — had noticed Mosley sitting in a pew with the backpack beside him.
After the bag was inspected and the handgun was found, CPD was notified.
The gun was not loaded and never removed from the backpack. No one was injured. No one was threatened, according to Joe Dillon, the city’s public information officer.
Authorities say Mosley did not have a permit to carry the weapon.
Earlier this month, Gov. Phil Bryant signed the Church Protection Act, which allows people selected by a church’s governing body to carry weapons into a place of worship for protection. The bill was proposed after nine people were shot to death at a historic African-American church in South Carolina. It went into effect the moment Bryant signed it.
Mosley is not a member of the security team at Shiloh Full Gospel Church, according to Edwards.
Mosley is a former mechanic in the Mississippi National Guard, according to his Facebook page.
Last fall, a website aimed at raising awareness for missing U.S. veterans — missingveterans.com — posted a report about Mosley, who, at the time, had gone missing in October from his sister’s home in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The post stated Mosley “possibly suffers from post traumatic stress disorder.” It also stated he served in Iraq. Mosley was located in December, according to the website.
He was charged Tuesday with the misdemeanor in Columbus.
William Browning was managing editor for The Dispatch until June 2016.
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