911 calls offer insight into kidnapping incident at Wrightsville Beach
WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH (WWAY) — New Hanover County officials have released 911 calls related to a kidnapping and shots fired incident in Wrightsville Beach last week — the third of four incidents involving 35-year-old William Gilmore.
On Aug. 18, a cleaning lady who was asked to open a home for an exterminator found a man — now identified as Gilmore — who asked her to help him get into a storage room. When she opened the door, Gilmore pushed her into the room, zip tied her and assaulted her.
Her children had gone down to the beach. When they came to check on her, shots rang out. Several people called authorities to report the incident.
“It’s on Scotch Bonnet on Wrightsville Beach — gunfire and the woman is on the beach. They’re saying that she’s trying to get kidnapped,” one caller says.
“I saw two women run over across the dunes. I heard the shots; I saw them probably three or four seconds later run across the dunes, kinda dive down on the beach and run. One of them was asking for help.”
“We saw two teenaged girls run out from the house at *unclear* beach. she said they have a gun…. and then it looks like it’s their mom that’s tied up.”
Dozens of people on the beach, trying to help the victims, with some 9-1-1 callers offering descriptions of the suspect. One caller was aided directly by the victim.
“Well I thought he was — I thought that he was a construction worker…. the exterminator…. and I complimented him on the damn job!” the victim can be heard saying.
Operator: “Does she have a suspect description?”
Caller: “Yeah, what was it? Looks like it was the blue sedan, she said.”
Operator: “Is it a male?”
Caller: “White male with a bunch of tattoos…He’s a bigger dude; bald head and he has, like tattoos on top…. and he had a towel wrapped around his waist.”
Shortly after, the car was spotted near Market Street in Wilmington. Traffic video released this week show Gilmore and officers exchanging fire in the busy road. Gilmore was shot and killed in the exchange.
The night before, Gilmore fired shots in two separate parts of New Hanover County, including on Lake Avenue, where he shot a woman who was out walking her dog. She was hospitalized but is now recovering.
Wilmington Police confirmed Gilmore had a history of mental illness.
The State Bureau of Investigation is leading the investigation over the investigation involving the officer involved shooting of Gilmore.
