RCMP emptied a room full of rifles, bulletproof vests and thousands of rounds of ammunition from the home of a suspect who ended up getting shot by police at Sun Peaks Resort.

Gregory Warren McNeil, 43, faces a number of firearms and threats charges for allegedly threatening a local financial institution with a firearm. He could be charged with additional offences in connection with the find, which came two days after the shooting incident, Const. Cheryl Bush said Wednesday.

"This was a significant weapons seizure," she told a news conference at the City's downtown detachment.

"When you see this type of weaponry and ammunition contained in someone's residence, it just goes to show the type of threat a person like this could be."

Kamloops RCMP's serious crime unit is tasked with investigating a threats complaint that led two uniformed officers to the Burfield Heights condominiums at Sun Peaks on Nov 25. Police say McNeil was shot once when he pulled out a handgun during the arrest.

Bush said that probe is separate from one being carried out by Lethbridge Regional Police Service, which continues to investigate the police-involved shooting.

On Saturday, police executed a search warrant at a rural house about an hour out of Kamloops. Bush would not say where the house is, if McNeil owns the residence or is renting.

The weapons and ammunition were organized inside a concealed room, said Bush. Many were loaded when police found them.

"It was a room that was set up in way that it wouldn't necessarily appear to be a typical room in a house," she said.

Due to the variety of firearms, an expert will examine the weapons and decide which could be owned legally. Bush said McNeil did not have the guns registered.

She and Cpl. Mark Goodall showed off the arsenal, which was moved to a forensic identification bay the detachment. Twelve firearms were seized, including a Bren light machine gun and sawed-off .12-gauge shotgun.

The fully automatic Bren is one of the guns firearms expert will test, said Bush. If it has been converted to semi automatic, then the weapon is not illegal to own.

"Definitely not the sawed-off shotgun," she said of the weapons that could be legal.

Boxes of ammunition were on display; some rounds were stored in wax-sealed military crates. Other containers held loaded magazines. A gas mask, U.S. flag, canisters of gunpowder and empty shells were also displayed.

Goodall said the preloaded magazines and military hardware such as the bulletproof vests are an unusual find.

"It's illegal to keep guns loaded. That's a concern for sure," he said.

McNeil is scheduled to appear in court Dec. 6. He has had previous dealing with police, but Bush would not elaborate.

The Daily News has reported that in May 2000 McNeil failed to return home after a temporary leave of absence from the electronic monitoring program, which is used by the courts in some instances in place of jail time. He was serving a six-month sentence for fraud.