Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Gunman guilty of explosives and firearms charges
Throughout this trial, he attempted to paint the picture that he was a tinkerer with a vague interest in weapons and explosives ANDREW PRITCHARD, FROM THE CROWN PROSECUTION SERVICE
AGUNMAN who was accused of planning a mass shooting is facing a lengthy jail sentence after being convicted of a string of weapons, ammunition and explosives charges.
Reed Wischhusen, 32, had a “macabre interest” in the Dunblane gunman Thomas Hamilton and Raoul Moat and US mass killers, and had built firearms and explosives to carry out a “hitmanstyle attack” on his former school.
In the attack he would deliberately target 10 people, as well as shoot dead teachers and attack Avon and Somerset Police headquarters.
The Lidl warehouse worker wrote down his warped plans in a document he dubbed “revenge”, Bristol Crown Court heard.
To carry out his plans he compiled an armoury of homemade weapons including pistols, submachine guns and a shotgun, as well as ammunition, bombs, grenades and poison.
Wischhusen’s plans were only stopped when uniformed officers visited the home he shared with his father in Wick Road, Wick St Lawrence, Somerset in November last year, having received a tip-off about weapons.
During the search of his home, Wischhusen attempted to shoot himself in the head with a concealed pistol in his bathroom, before running downstairs with the gun to confront armed officers. Fearing they were going to be killed, the defendant was shot twice by officers and he spent several months recovering in hospital.
Following a 10-day trial, a jury found the defendant guilty of having an explosive substance with intent to endanger life, possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life, possessing ammunition with intent to endanger life and possessing a prohibited firearm without a certificate. He had previously admitted possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, possessing a prohibited firearm and possessing ammunition without a firearm certificate.
Judge Martin Picton had earlier directed the jury to find the defendant guilty of an eighth charge of having an explosive substance.
The judge ordered pre-sentence reports and remanded Wischhusen into custody until he is sentenced on December 15.
“In terms of where we go from here, I would not be prepared to sentence without a pre-sentence
report and I will order one and it will have to look at the issue of dangerousness,” the judge said.
“I think there should also be a psychiatric report because there are so many troubling features about the defendant’s conduct.”
Wischhusen had equipment in his outhouse to manufacture the pistols, sub-machine guns, ammunition and explosives needed for the plans he set out in the 1,700-word “revenge” document, the court was told.
“Yes, revenge is on my mind it’s a powerful motivator, be nice to get back at the people who caused me stress and worry over the years it’s been eating away at my brain like cancer,” he wrote in an introduction.
Phase one was to kill 10 people, including ex-classmates, teachers and police staff, using a converted pistol with a silencer, while wearing disguised clothing and a wig.
He planned to spare two police staff so they would feel “survivor’s guilt”, citing Dunblane killer Hamilton as inspiration.
He would then walk into his old school, Priory School in Worle, to shoot and kill teachers and throw pipe bombs before evading police.
The plan would culminate in an attack on Avon and Somerset Police’s headquarters, where he would either plant and detonate pressure cooker bombs before opening fire on staff with submachine guns or ambush officers and enter the building to let off explosives.
After this he planned to kill himself, the court was told.
He signed off his detailed plans by saying: “This would make national news, even international as a endowment life member of the NRA they be possibly blamed for radicalizing me. But I’ve been like this way before I became an NRA member. But granted homemade guns don’t count it be brilliant it get every bit of anti-gun democrat milf going. That alone would be so cathartic!
“It has to happen, regardless.” Wischhusen denied the plot and said it was all “fantasy” and he never had any intention of harming anyone.
Describing his writings, he told jurors: “It was a psychological release and feelings like I am getting back at people. It’s why people write their feelings down and tear it up and throw it away – just I forgot to throw it away. I got power over them by writing it down.”
Detective Chief Inspector Simon Dewfall, who led the investigation, said: “Wischhusen can expect to serve a considerable amount of time in prison following the verdicts and I hope this provides reassurance to anyone concerned about his actions and plans.”
Andrew Pritchard, from the Crown Prosecution Service South West, said: “It is clear Wischhusen took a macabre interest in mass shootings and, had he not been stopped, had the means to enact his deadly plan with terrible consequences. Throughout this trial, he attempted to paint the picture that he was a tinkerer with a vague interest in weapons and explosives. This picture was rejected by the jury.”