U.S.A. – -(Ammoland.com)- “A felony at large warrant has been issued for the arrest of a St. Louis pastor known for supporting families impacted by gun violence,” Fox 2 Now reported Friday. “Pastor Ronald M. Fraction, 63, was charged with unlawful use of a weapon and shooting into a motor vehicle, a Class E felony.”
He’s not just a pastor, we learn, but “[h]e has also served as a volunteer chaplain with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department for at least five years.” We also learn that, in addition to joining with anti-violence marchers, “Fraction has helped families cope with loss and tragedy, including some highly publicized stories involving children shot while in vehicles.”
If that’s the case, why did a gas station surveillance video show “Fraction shooting a gun at a vehicle as it was driving away from him”?
Clues are hard to come by. At this writing, the Fox 2 Now account is the only report appearing on the Google News feed, and that story has not been updated for four days. Looking further into the past, we find in addition to being a pastor and a chaplain, Fraction is “a former police officer” and a “partner in caring for the greater St. Louis community through the Homicide, Ministers & Community Alliance (HMCA).”
Unanswered are questions including why an anti “gun violence” marcher would feel the need to carry a gun and if he did so lawfully. Did he have a permit? Being a former officer, was he carrying in accordance with the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act?*
Since some maintain that police should be the “Only Ones” bearing arms due to superior training and accountability not shared by mere citizens, what standard protocols say it’s OK to shoot into a fleeing vehicle?
And, of course, what prompted a felony warrant and has Fraction been taken into custody yet or is he still at large? Is it fair to question if St. Louis’ “mutual protection society” is keeping information under wraps?
Because aside from the one and only report, no local news outlets appear interested in the story and the Fox affiliate has gone quiet. Why?
Likewise, if SLMPD knows more, they’re not saying.
* UPDATE: As a side note, MO being a permitless carry state completely slipped my mind. That said, the lack of media interest in reporting further is noteworthy. Things sure got quiet awful fast about this.
About David Codrea:
David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating/defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” is a regularly featured contributor to Firearms News, and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.