Reed Wischhusen jailed for planning 'revenge' mass shooting

Reed Wischhusen had planned to carry out a mass shooting

A man who planned a 'revenge' mass shooting at his former school has been sentenced to life in prison.

Reed Wischhusen, 32, from Wick St Lawrence, Somerset, was also convicted of weapons charges after he made his own armoury of explosives, firearms and ammunition.

He wrote a 1,700-word document which listed who he planned to kill.

It included teachers at his former school and officers at the headquarters of Avon and Somerset Police.

After being arrested, Wischhusen told detectives his document was a fantasy he never intended to act out.

But during sentencing at Bristol Crown Court, Judge Martin Picton said: "I have no doubt that what you committed to writing about represented your true thoughts and intents rather than fantasy."

The trial heard Wischhusen made his own weapons

Over a 10-day trial which ended in October, the court was told how the Lidl warehouse worker had a fascination with mass killings like the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, Dunblane massacre in 1996 and the Columbine High School shooting in 1999.

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

He planned to attack his former school, Priory School in Worle, targeting people he believed had wronged him, as well as killing teachers.

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.

'Ran at armed officers'

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

Officers found several weapons, as well as body armour, a police uniform and a deactivated hand grenade, when they searched the property.

More than 600 blank cartridges, nearly 1,500 primers - the component of a gun which propels the ammunition - and more than 1,000 unfired bullets for a range of different firearms were also seized, along with a large quantity of assorted chemicals, timers, metal tubes, pressure cookers and ball bearings.

During the search Wischhusen attempted to take his own life in the bathroom with a pistol he had hidden in his coat.

He 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.

He needed lengthy hospital treatment and it was several months before he could be questioned.

His trial was told that he entitled his document "revenge" and said in the introduction: "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."

Jurors found him 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.

'Danger to society'

Passing sentence, Judge Picton said Wischhusen was "obsessed with firearms and explosives" and only a life sentence was appropriate.

"I have watched and rewatched the video footage and you were calm and controlled," he said.

"Having chosen to carry a loaded firearm on your person when going about your daily life, shows the danger you pose to society.

"The fact that you were prepared to use a loaded firearm in the presence of these officers and in the context of your thoughts in the journals is deeply concerning.

"The bodyworn camera footage is deeply shocking."

Wischhusen will have to serve a minimum of 12 years before he is considered for parole.