Two cases from August that involved the lethal use of force by law enforcement were justified in self-defense or defense of others, according to a Facebook post from the Knox County Sheriff's Office.
The Knox County prosecuting attorney released information from a Knox County grand jury that made the determination in the two cases, the post said. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation investigated both cases.
Wilhelm brothers’ fatal shooting called justified
Bradley and Randy Wilhelm were fleeing across fields in an ATV toward their mother's home on Gilchrist Road in Monroe Township in the first incident, Mount Vernon News reported. They were shot by officers from three agencies on the morning of Aug. 20.
The incident began on Aug. 19 when a bail bondsman pursued Randy after a failure to appear in Common Pleas Court for a pending felony case led to his bond being revoked. The bail bondsman followed his brother, Bradley, to their property on Gilchrist Road in Monroe Township. The bondsman's truck was shot multiple times by someone using a rifle.
Agencies including the Ohio State Highway Patrol Aviation Unit responded after the incident was reported to local law enforcement. The agency sent a patrol helicopter with infrared cameras to fly over the property. The aviation officers recorded shots being fired from the property at the helicopter by two subjects on the ground. They provided reconnaissance while law enforcement units from other agencies arrived to assist in apprehending Wilhelm.
Officers and armored vehicles were brought to the scene the next morning. Responding agencies included the Delaware Tactical Unit, ASORT, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Marysville Police Department, the Westerville Police Department, and the Dublin Police Department. Law enforcement units entered the property pursuant to a search warrant for Randy and contraband firearms after attempting to make contact with him.
Aviation units told officers that the Wilhelms were spotted at the house shortly after 9 a.m. Officers approached the home on Monroe Mills Road in an armored vehicle. One of the vehicles went behind the house and was fired upon multiple times by a person later identified as Randy; this disabled the vehicle. A second armored vehicle in the driveway of the house was fired upon by him, compromising the bulletproof glass in the windshield.
Moments later, the brothers sped out of the driveway in an off-road vehicle toward their mother's home. They encountered law enforcement officers from the Delaware Tactical Unit and others who were attempting to safely remove Saundra Wilhelm from the property.
Both brothers were shot multiple times by the officers when Randy, who was holding a rifle, began to raise it. Bradley, who was driving the off-road vehicle, reportedly had a shotgun next to him and several shotgun shells in his pocket. A significant quantity of rifle ammunition was discovered in the back of the vehicle.
Five law enforcement officers from three agencies fired shots in the incident. The officers are members of the Delaware County Sheriff's Office, Westerville Police Department, and Dublin Police Department. Their actions were found to be justified by the grand jury.
Delano shooting justified as self-defense
Knox County Sheriff's deputies responded to a call on Zuck Road in Butler Township two days later. That incident ended with the death of Elizabeth Delano, according to Mount Vernon News.
An unnamed person who called 911 reported that Delano entered a property that she had been ordered by a court not to visit. Deputies found Delano in the home by herself when they arrived. She became combative and began firing a shotgun when officers asked her to come out of the house. She later emerged from the house with the shotgun and fired a total of six rounds – some of them aimed in the direction of the deputies.
Delano was shot once by Deputy Michael Collins after she ignored a command to drop her shotgun and began to raise it again to a firing position. The use of force was found to be justified in self-defense and defense of the other deputies present.
