Anderson man convicted of 5 charges related to Jan. 6 storming of Capitol
A Washington, D.C., jury convicted a South Carolina man on five charges related to his participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol.
Derek Cooper Gunby, 43, of Anderson, was found guilty this week of one felony — obstruction of an official proceeding — and four misdemeanors: disorderly conduct in a restricted building; disorderly conduct in a Capitol building; parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building; and entering ore remaining in a restricted building, according to court records.
He is scheduled to be sentenced March 1 by U.S. District Court Judge Paul Friedman. Gunby is free on a personal recognizance bond until then.
In all, 23 South Carolinians have been arrested for participating in the riot. Gunby was the first to take his case to trial. Eighteen others have pleaded guilty.
Gunby was one of thousands of former President Donald Trump supporters who attended a “Stop the Steal” rally in Washington. He then joined a mob of people pushing their way into the U.S. Capitol as Congress met to certify the presidential election results.
“We’re on the Capitol steps… and we are trying to storm the Capitol building,” Gunby said on a phone recording posted on social media and used by prosecutors. “We’re taking the country back. You don’t get to do this to my country and not suffer consequences.”
Gundy was in the building for about three minutes before police forced rioters out. He remained on Capitol grounds, recording skirmishes between police and protestors, for well over two hours, according to court records.
The FBI arrested Gunby on Aug. 10, 2021, in South Carolina.