Broken Arrow Police Share Details About Arrest Of Man Carrying Rifle

Broken Arrow Police clarified what happened when a man was arrested after walking into an AT&T store carrying a rifle and wearing a tactical vest.

Police said Zachary Morrissey was seen earlier that day at the Broken Arrow Courthouse. However, at that time, he had no weapons on him and was doing nothing illegal, so he was initially released.

Broken Arrow Police said while it may have been odd to see Zachary Morrisey walking around with a rifle and wearing tactical gear, he wasn't breaking the law by having the rifle with him.

Broken Arrow Police said this started when someone called them because they thought a man with a gun was walking toward the Broken Arrow Justice center.

Police said Morrissey was there picking up things he had left after being in jail over the weekend for obstructing a police officer, paraphernalia and possession of drugs.

Police said when they got there and talked to Morrissey, he didn't have any weapons on him and wasn't breaking the law. He was cooperative with officers and left. 

Someone later dropped him off at 9th and Hillside Drive where he was seen walking back and forth, outside of Target with a rifle.

“It is legal, in the state of Oklahoma so we want to encourage people out there in our community to be wary that you are living in Oklahoma, and this is legal," Ethan Hutchins with Broken Arrow Police said.

Police said they received more calls. By the time Morrissey got inside at an AT&T store, they learned he had a warrant from earlier in the day for jaywalking.

When they arrested him, they found brass knuckles and a 50-calliber pistol, which led to an additional charge.

“This was a very strange incident for our officers to respond to, but we are just happy that we were able to get him into custody at the AT&T store without anybody being injured and we’re glad we’ve been able to piece together what happened," Hutchins said.

While police said having a rifle in the open wasn't illegal, several people posted about it being scary and unnerving, because they weren't sure what he might do.