Evidence that two gunmen left behind in a Chevrolet Suburban they abandoned in Wilmington, Ohio, after shootouts with police Feb. 15 supports investigators' theories that the men were dealing illegal guns in an underground market.
And guns were a major link in connecting one of the gunmen, Chevie Kehoe, to the home of a murdered Arkansas gun dealer with ties to militia and white-separatist groups.
Mr. Kehoe, 24, of Colville, Wash., and his brother, Cheyne, 20, part of a white-separatist group called the Aryan Nations, are the focus of a nationwide manhunt. They are thought to have fled with their wives and four children.
Items seized from their blue 1977 Suburban include hats and jackets bearing FBI logos, two U.S. marshal badges, six guns, more than 4,000 rounds of ammunition, bulletproof vests, a gas grenade, gas masks, pepper spray, cans of of black and orange smoke, face paint and camouflage clothes, a lock-pick set, latex gloves, $800 cash and a sign that said ''Guns for Sale.''
''That was quite a haul,'' Clinton County Sheriff Ralph Fizer said.
The .223-caliber rifle Chevie Kehoe is thought to have used in the shootout is not listed in the inventory. Cheyne Kehoe also may have fled with a .45-caliber handgun and a bulletproof vest. Sheriff Fizer said no blood was found at the scene, although it appeared in video taken from the cruiser's dashboard that a deputy struck Cheyne Kehoe in the chest several times.
All of the evidence recovered - even the U.S. marshal badges - is easy to come by at gun shows and flea markets, Sheriff Fizer said. ''I think they did trade and deal in guns.''
Gun dealing is how Pope County, Ark., Sheriff Jay Winters says he thinks Chevie Kehoe met murder victim William Mueller, a gun dealer in Tilly, Ark. His body, with those of his wife and stepdaughter, 8, were found in an Arkansas bayou in June.
Sheriff Winters is asking for forensic tests to determine whether evidence found in the van would connect the Kehoes to the Mueller home. He said Mr. Kehoe is a suspect in a robbery of the Mueller home.
A federal grand jury in Spokane, Wash., indicted Chevie Kehoe Tuesday charging him with possessing two stolen guns from Mr. Mueller. The guns apparently were removed last year from a cache traced to a Spokane motel.
Other assault weapons, handguns, smoke grenades and ammunition were found last fall stashed in a double-car garage behind The Shadows Motel and RV Park in Spokane.
Previous stories
GUNMEN CARRIED POLICE GEAR IN VAN Feb. 28, 1997
CHEVIE KEHOE INDICTED ON FEDERAL CHARGES Feb. 26, 1997
CALLS GIVE TIPS ON FUGITIVES Feb. 25, 1997
WILMINGTON SHOOTOUT NOW FBI CONCERN Feb. 22, 1997
BROTHERS INDICTED, SOUGHT IN SHOOTOUTS Feb. 21, 1997
TWO GUNMEN TRACKED TO CAMPGROUND Feb. 20, 1997
INVESTIGATORS, SUPREMACISTS APPEAL TO PUBLIC Feb. 19, 1997
FBI JOINS HUNT FOR GUNMEN Feb. 18, 1997
SHOOTOUT MAY BE LINKED TO KILLINGS Feb. 17, 1997
