Charge dropped against soldier who took gun to Fayetteville mall

The Cumberland County District Attorney's office has dismissed a charge against a Fort Bragg soldier who brought a rifle into Cross Creek Mall last year.

Posted 7:56 p.m. Oct 31, 2016 — Updated 7:56 p.m. Oct 31, 2016

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — The Cumberland County District Attorney's office has dismissed a charge against a Fort Bragg soldier who brought a rifle into Cross Creek Mall last year.

Sgt. Bryan Scott Wolfinger, 26, had been charged with going armed to the terror of the public.

Wolfinger said he was going to a photo shoot at the mall on July 1, 2015, and was outfitted for the shoot in military gear, complete with an AR-15 assault rifle.

Panicked shoppers called 911 to report a man with a gun.

"Our client had been at the private property location of Cross Creek Mall for a prearranged and approved gun photo session, there was no signage forbidding such activity at the time and our client made no effort to terrorize or intimate anyone during the relevant time," attorney David Courie said in a statement Monday. "Clearly, the optics were undesirable in hindsight, despite the lawful and unobjectionable reason for the visit and presence of the gun. We are thankful for the court and the state in fairly vetting the facts and making the law driven call in this case."

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