Investigators have seized more than 1,000 firearms and 140,000 rounds of ammunition from a Gilchrist Road property after the fatal shooting of two brothers when a standoff that started Friday night ended Saturday morning.
The officer-involved shooting ended the standoff when the Knox County Sheriff’s Office said Randy Wilhelm, 56, and Bradley Wilhelm, 53, allegedly drove a side-by-side vehicle toward officers after 9 a.m. on Aug. 20.
A search warrant issued by the Mount Vernon Municipal Court ordered the arrest of Randy Wilhelm and all firearms on the property at 15266 Gilchrist Road, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) said in a release on Aug. 22.
A shots-fired report at 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 19 resulted in a multijurisdictional law enforcement response in the Gilchrist/Monroe Mills Road area. The BCI continued the firearms search at the request of Knox County Prosecutor Chip McConville.
The more than 1,000 firearms seized were primarily sporting shotguns and hunting-caliber rifles. Most of the ammunition seized was target ammunition for trapshooting.
BCI’s investigation remains active and ongoing. Once it is complete, it will be referred to McConville’s office. Investigative documents will become available to the public once the case has been adjudicated.
As the standoff began, residents in the area of those roads between Harding and Danville-Amity were asked to shelter in place, stay indoors, and close and lock doors and windows, according to a release from the Knox Sheriff’s Office at approximately 9 a.m. Saturday. A law enforcement helicopter flew overhead as officers evacuated residents near the incident site as they attempted negotiations to end the incident.
A spokesperson for the Ohio State Highway Patrol confirmed that its aviation section was asked by the Knox County Sheriff’s Office to respond to the incident.
“We can confirm that our helicopter was shot at but not struck by gunfire,” Sgt. Brice A. Nihiser said in an email response to questions.
