BCI investigating after officers fatally shoot brothers after 9-hour standoff in Knox County
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating the circumstances that led law enforcement officers to fatally shoot two brothers Saturday after a nine-hour, overnight standoff in Knox County.
Police say the men, identified as Randy Wilhelm, 56, and Bradley Wilhelm, 53, fired guns at law enforcement vehicles and planned to detonate a propane tank as a bomb rather than face capture.
Knox County Sheriff's office deputies responded to a shots fired call on Gilchrist Road near the village of Howard in Monroe Township, about 50 miles northeast of Columbus, around 11:30 p.m. on Friday.
Police say the incident began after a bail bondsman called law enforcement and reported that his vehicle had been shot multiple times by a suspect. The bondsman was attempting to apprehend Randy Wilhelm, who had failed to appear in Knox County Common Pleas Court on a $100,000 bond, authorities said in a news release Sunday.
Wilhelm has been under indictment since 2020 for charges including intimidation, menacing by stalking, bribery, felonious assault and domestic violence. On Aug. 2, he failed to appear in court for his jury trial and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
During the ongoing investigation involving Randy Wilhelm, detectives had received multiple tips that he had a stockpile of firearms and ammunition, and that he had made threats that he would not be arrested and had the skills to defend himself. Wilhelm was a well-known trap shooter and proficient marksman, the release said.
Deputies requested assistance from outside agencies while responding to the scene. Multiple agencies responded, including BCI and the State Highway Patrol. Several of the agencies provided armored vehicles for the effort. Three of the vehicles were struck by gunfire from the two suspects, according to authorities.
During the standoff, authorities said a bulk propane truck was moved next to one of the houses on the property. They said Randy Wilhelm had previously threatened to use the propane tanker as a bomb if law enforcement attempted to apprehend him.
On Saturday morning, the sheriff’s office sent out a release asking residents in the area to shelter in place and lock their doors and windows as authorities tried to negotiate an end to the standoff.
Knox County standoff: Suspects shot at helicopter, Ohio State Highway Patrol says
Patrol spokesman Sgt. Brice Nihiser said the suspects shot at a Patrol helicopter, but did not strike it. He added that the suspects may have fired shots multiple times during the standoff, but said the investigation was still trying to determine how many shots they fired and where.
“Any time we’re shot at, that definitely escalates things,” Nihiser said.
Knox County Sheriff David Shaffer said his office had prepared for a barricade situation on the fenced-in compound that includes three houses and several outbuildings.
“Deputies had been pre-planning and conducting surveillance in an attempt to maximize the likelihood of a safe and peaceful resolution,” Shaffer said. "However, based on their actions, the brothers unfortunately did not appear to have any intention of being arrested.”
Around 9:20 a.m Saturday, law enforcement officers fatally shot both brothers as they were riding in a side-by-side vehicle, commonly known as a utility task, or all-terrain, vehicle, toward officers who were outside of an armored vehicle.
“When law enforcement attempted to stop the suspects, an officer-involved shooting occurred,” Sheriff's office Capt. Jay Sheffer said at a news conference Saturday.
Authorities did not identify the officer or officers who fired the fatal shots. No law enforcement officer was injured.
Two other people on the property, the Wilhelms' mother, who was in a different house on the property, and a friend of Bradley Wilhelm, were not considered hostages during the incident and were unharmed.
Dispatch Reporter Jordan Laird contributed to this report
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Knox County standoff: Ohio BCI looks at fatal shootings by officers
