Photo by Brian Allen
A judge has sentenced Larry Russell Dawson to 11 months in prison, stemming from a confrontation last year in which the Tennessee man pointed a gun at law enforcement and was subsequently shot at the Capitol Visitor Center.
U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and U.S. Capitol Police Chief Matthew R. Verderosa announced the sentencing by Judge James E. Boasberg today in a release.
The incident took place on March 28 during a screening at the center—a facility that was built in the wake of a 1998 shooting, when a gunman killed two Capitol Police officers, but conceived after a 1983 bombing in the Senate.
After entering the building, 67-year-old Dawson walked through a metal detector, which signaled metal near his waist, according to a court document. So a Capitol Police officer told him to walk through again. He then scanned Dawson with a hand-held detector.
At that point, Dawson grabbed “what appeared to be a black handgun” from his waist, according to the court document. Officials later said it was a Daisy spring-loaded BB gun, but “under federal law, an imitation gun, when used in circumstances such as those described in the plea documents, qualifies as a dangerous weapon,” according to the release.
After a brief physical altercation, Dawson took the hand-held metal detector from the officer, moved away, and threw it onto the floor, according to the court document. He then pointed his gun at the officer who screened him. Meanwhile, other officers moved people, including children, out of the way.
Capitol Police officers ordered Dawson to drop the weapon and raise his arms, but Dawson ignored them and proceeded toward the screening officer while pointing the weapon, according to the court document. One of the other officers then shot him.
Dawson was apprehended, searched, given first aid, and taken to a local hospital. He’s been in custody since the incident.
In today’s hearing, Judge Boasberg also sentenced Dawson for interrupting a House session in October 2015 (CSPAN has tweeted a video of this incident). He was charged in that case and released with another a hearing set for December 2015, which he didn’t attend.
Judge Boasberg sentenced Dawson to 90 days in prison for the October offense, consecutive to the 11 months for the incident in March.
When he’s released from prison, he’ll have to be supervised for three years. The judge also ordered him to receive mental health treatment while he’s in prison and when he gets out.
