Reed Wischhusen: Man found guilty of planning mass shooting

A man has been found guilty of a string of weapons charges and planning a mass shooting in a "hitman-style attack".

Reed Wischhusen, 32, from Wick St Lawrence, Somerset, had an armoury of explosives, firearms and ammunition, and had written a 'revenge' list of people he planned to kill.

His plans included shooting teachers at his former school and attacking Avon and Somerset Police headquarters.

Jurors at Bristol Crown Court found Wischhusen guilty on all counts.

Judge Martin Picton ordered pre-sentence reports and remanded Wischhusen into custody until he is sentenced on 15 December.

Reed Wischhusen worked in a Lidl warehouse for nine years

Wischhusen is facing a lengthy jail sentence after being convicted of a number of weapons, ammunition and explosives charges.

The 32-year-old was found guilty of having an explosive substance with intent to endanger life, having an explosive substance, 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 already admitted possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, possessing a prohibited firearm and possessing ammunition without a firearm certificate.

Over a 10-day trial, the court heard how the Lidl warehouse worker had a fascination with mass killings like the the Oklahoma bombing in 1995, Dunblane massacre in 1996 and the Columbine shooting in 1999.

He had built firearms and explosives to carry out an attack on his former school in which he would deliberately target 10 people who he believed had wronged him in the past, as well as shoot dead teachers and detonate bombs at Avon and Somerset Police headquarters.

To carry out his plans he compiled an armoury of homemade weapons including pistols, sub-machine guns and a shotgun, as well as ammunition, bombs, grenades and poison.

When questioned by police he said the plan was just fantasy which he wrote to amuse himself and he had no intention of harming anyone.

One of the guns police found in Mr Wischhusen's home

Police went to the house Wischhusen shared with his father in Wick Road, Wick St Lawrence, in November 2022, having received a tip-off about weapons.

Officers found a number of firearms and during the search he attempted to take his own life in the bathroom with a pistol he had hidden in his coat.

Wischhusen then ran at armed officers pointing the gun at them.

Two armed officers warned him to put it down, but as he continued to come towards them, he was shot three times.

Mr Wischhusen spent several months in hospital, and it was not until March that he was well enough to be interviewed by detectives.

Reed Wischhusen, who was not a police officer, owned a police-style uniform and body armour

Det Ch Insp Simon Dewfall, said Wischhusen's plans were "terrifying".

"Had he not been caught when he was, the consequences simply do not bear thinking about.

"While the weapons he built were crudely constructed, they were extremely dangerous", he added.

Andrew Pritchard, specialist prosecutor for CPS 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.

"His intention was to send a brutal and violent message to those he felt had wronged him throughout his life; from school bullies, to police staff who had refused him firearms licences, to his bosses at work.

"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 and I would like to take the opportunity to thank the prosecution team's efforts in unpicking Wischhusen's account."

A police search at Mr Wischhusen's house found an armoury of home-made weapons

Judge Picton said: "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.

"I think there should also be a psychiatric report because there are so many troubling features about the defendant's conduct."