Man who shot way inside a Columbia mall faces prison sentence

The man who barricaded himself inside a Midlands shopping mall after it was struck by gunfire in March faces a significant prison sentence after pleading guilty in federal court Wednesday.

James Jacob Parrish, Jr., 26, of Fayetteville, N.C., pleaded guilty in federal court to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, according to U.S. Attorney Beth Drake.

The convicted felon faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and 3 years of supervised release for the incident that happened the same day the University of South Carolina men’s basketball team beat Florida in the NCAA Tournament to advance to the Final Four.

The incident occurred March 26 at Columbia Mall on Two Notch Road. Richland County Sheriff’s Department deputies responded to an alarm and shots-fired call at the mall, which was closed at the time.

Deputies located a vehicle registered to Parrish parked in the median of the mall parking lot with a flat front tire and noticed bullet holes in the glass door of the Sears Automotive Department, according to Drake. Spent 9mm shell casings were lying on the sidewalk in front of the door, and deputies discovered an interior glass door had been shot out as well.

Deputies located Parrish barricaded inside an interior room and attempted to negotiate a peaceful surrender, Drake said.

Parrish threatened to shoot the officers before they entered the room and found him pointing a loaded Kahr 9mm handgun at them, before safely subduing him and placing him under arrest, according to Drake.

Parrish was taken to a local hospital for treatment to a foot injury he sustained when he fell through a ceiling trying to escape, Drake said, adding Parrish attempted to take a handgun from a deputy at the hospital.

Parrish is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms and ammunition based upon his prior North Carolina state convictions, including

• Carrying a concealed firearm (2002)
• Possession of stolen goods (2003)
• Possession of cocaine (2003)
• Sell of cocaine (2003)
• Possession with intent to distribute counterfeit currency (2003)
• Second degree murder
• Second degree kidnapping
• Attempted robbery with a deadly weapon
• Sell of cocaine (2005)

Parrish had been released from a North Carolina prison in 2015.