Gunman Arrested Near White House Was ‘Only Going To Fire A Couple Shots’

Washington D.C. – A gunman was arrested near the White House on Tuesday, and admitted that he was going to fire “a couple of shots” if he went un-confronted.

Christopher Wade Briggs was arrested in the 700 block of Jackson Place NW Tuesday afternoon. He was busted for displaying a semi-automatic handgun near a U.S. Secret Service police booth outside the White House.

Though his motives are unknown at this point, Briggs confessed to officers “I was only going to fire a couple of shots if no one confronted me,” according to court documents.

Briggs was hardly easy to miss. An officer in the booth spotted him without a shirt and brandishing a semi-automatic.45-caliber handgun that he pulled from his backpack. He pulled it out and tucked it into his belt, documents showed.

The officer called for back-up to assist him in the arrest.

The gun was loaded with 13 rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber, official documents said. Briggs’ backpack also contained two more magazines each with 13 rounds and 171 more rounds of hollow-point,.45-caliber ammunition.

He also had with him two hunting knives with serrated edges. One was a 7-inch blade, and the other was a 12-inch blade.

Briggs was not carrying a license to carry or any gun permit in his name. He did not say that he had a license to carry or a gun permit.

In the District of Columbia, a permit to purchase a handgun is required, as is firearm registration. Carry permits are not issued, and open carry is not allowed except for under special circumstances.

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