Jan. 6 defendant opens fire on cops in Texas after being told of Capitol riot charges

A Jan. 6 defendant opened fire on cops who had been sent to check on him hours after he was told he'd been charged with participating in the storming of the Capitol, the Department of Justice said in a news release.

Nathan Donald Pelham, 40, of Greenville, Texas, was taken into custody after a standoff that lasted nearly three hours. He was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm in connection with the April 12 incident.

No injuries were reported in connection with the shootings.

The previous day he had been charged with four misdemeanor counts in connection with the attack on the Capitol. An FBI agent told him of the charges hours before the shooting and told him he had been given until April 17 to surrender.

But later that day, the local sheriff’s office got a call from one of Pelham's relatives who was concerned about him and saying he had a gun.

When cops got to the house they found it dark and lit it with lights from their patrol car. Shortly afterwards, Pelham's daughter left the house and was taken into a police car, before officers heard gunshots and took cover.

“About an hour later, at approximately 9:38 p.m., Mr. Pelham – a previously convicted felon – walked onto the porch and allegedly fired towards several deputies, who could be heard on body-worn camera video noting bullets ‘whiz’ by them,” the DOJ said.

“A deputy instructed Mr. Pelham to put his gun down, but he continued to wave it until re-entering his home. At 10:46 p.m., Mr. Pelham again exited the residence and fired multiple rounds.”

Nobody was hurt and law enforcement left at 12:21 a.m., the Department of Justice said. It's unclear when Pelham was arrested.

During a search of Pelham’s home, a Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol and four boxes of ammunition were found, along with several 9 mm-sized holes found in the walls.

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Pelham faces up to 15 years in federal prison on the felony gun charge and three years on the misdemeanor charges. He has been detained pending trial in both cases.

"Today's news of a January 6th defendant shooting at police officers should surprise no one,” Allison Anderman, who serves as Senior Counsel for GIFFORDS Law Center, said in a statement.

“The gun industry has gone all-in on anti-government paranoia and our country is paying the price. Make no mistake, people who fantasize about civil war, use violence to overthrow an election, and assault law enforcement are homegrown, self-radicalized domestic terrorists. They may throw around the word 'Patriot' but they are nothing of the sort."