Washington sniper vanishes after signature hits

ABC NEWSONLINE ^ | 10/14/02

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

US police have said they do not want to the muddy waters of an investigation into a sniper who has killed eight people and wounded two by releasing an inaccurate sketch, amid reports the meticulous killer circling the nation's capital has been sighted.

Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose was asked to comment on reports that the sniper who has electrified the Washington area has been spotted, and police are working on a composite sketch.

Chief Moose, struggling for the right words, said he did not want to "muddy the waters" by releasing an image to the media too soon.

"Please rest assured that when we have something where we are sure that the media can help us we will use that," Moose said.

"The concern is that we pollute the whole thought process, we cause people to have tunnel vision, think they see what they heard on TV and mix that up with reality."

The power of the media has taken center stage in the hunt for the shooter - or shooters, who has used a high-velocity rifle to slam a single bullet into 10 victims since October 2, eluding the largest federal, state and local manhunt in the history of the Washington region.

Chief Moose released a composite image of an older model, mid-sized commercial truck, with light damage to its right rear bumper and black lettering -- a row of large black block letters above a row of smaller letters, on each side.

Chief Moose said the white truck, which has a roll-up door at the rear, was seen at more than one of the shootings by more than one witness and he asked the media to distribute it widely.

He declined to discuss any of the witnesses further.

"None of the witnesses have been able to give us the exact wording" on the truck or its license plate number, Chief Moose said at a news briefing.

The chief said the image is generating new leads.

"Maybe he has had this vehicle repaired," he said, calling on mechanics and body shop workers to think back.

Investigators are working on a sketch of a second vehicle, described as a white Chevrolet Astro van, seen near the latest shooting on Friday, Chief Moose said.

"We're working with a sense of urgency" to get that photo to the public, he said.

Physical evidence has been scant, with one taunting clue apparently left by the shooter near where a 13-year-old victim was shot - a tarot "death" card with the words "dear Mr Policeman, I am God" scrawled on the back.

The cold, methodical killer, who picks off random victims while concealed in a sniper's nest at a comfortable distance, claimed his 10th victim and eighth fatality on Friday.

Kenneth Bridges, 53, a businessman and father of six on the road from Philadelphia, was killed on Friday at an Exxon gasoline station near a busy interstate highway in Virginia.

[schmelvin]

Good question; but why this time, send a message with a tarot card?

Forgive me if this has already been addressed (I haven't finished reading the thread yet); but I've heard that snipers usually leave behind a "calling card", and that American military snipers usually leave the "ace of spades".

I've, also, heard that we did this when we were in Afghanistan, so the shooter could be a Muslim terrorist with some delusions that he even comes close to being on par with one of our boys.

[_Jim]

I am convinced we are witnessing a terror cell operating here...

I am convinced we have a person who is openly faunting law and civility with the intent and purpose of making the police and 'security' in this country out to be a 'joke' ...

[dsutah]

Ooooh! Chilling huh? Yeah, that could be. But if I remember, the so-called 'death card' is pictured with a hooded/caped skeleton figure, possibly on a horse? The one I've seen on one of the threads, has such a picture on it. I don't know, you could be right. I do remember learning that it is irresponsible for a "Tarot" reader to interpret that card as a prediction of death, because of the 'skeleton' in it. It can literally cause someone to worry themselves to death!

[dsutah]

Ooooh! Chilling huh? Yeah, that could be. But if I remember, the so-called 'death card' is pictured with a hooded/caped skeleton figure, possibly on a horse? The one I've seen on one of the threads, has such a picture on it. I don't know, you could be right. I do remember learning that it is irresponsible for a "Tarot" reader to interpret that card as a prediction of death, because of the 'skeleton' in it. It can literally cause someone to worry themselves to death!

[dsutah]

Oops! I know, I pushed 'post' twice by mistake! My computer seemed to just sit there, and wouldn't do anything, so I hit 'post' again! Silly me!

[Grampa Dave]

Out in Kali Land whenever there is a really bad and ugly crime with people getting killed by some whacko, if there is no description of the perp or perps, that means it was not a white guy or white guys.

The recent bus accident where the bus driver was attacked by a whacko who tried to cut the Driver's throat in the Valley was your typical, "we ain't going to say the race nor show a picture of the whacko.

Those of us who live out here, said the first probability was that the perp was an illegal Mexican alien with a criminal behavior, second probability the perp was an Islamakazi and the third probability so other minority.

Sure enough hidden in an obscure SF newspaper came the reality that the killer was an illegal Mexican. Later his criminal record was documented.

This is due to the PC ing of our police force, and the PC ing of our news by the left wing maggots.

Every police chief in the DC area is a PC/Diversity master not a real cop.

[SEA]

The one thing in particular makes me think that it's not Al Qaeda terrorists are not doing the shooting ... the Tarot card supposedly left behind at one scene. Two things about it ... as I understand it, no self-respecting Mooselem would touch or look at, or even write upon, a graven image of God, let alone write on it in manner so to present himself as a God to others, even his infidel prey.

The truth is, these al-Queda killers are not Islamic fundamentalists, but rather leftist political terrorists, and they are just fine with things no Moslem would do--witness the drinking binges for the hijackers the night before 9/11.

[Grampa Dave]

Yep, this is the perverted PC code of the Diversity Queens in charge of many of the law enforcement agencies and in many left wing cities:

Code for he doesn't fit the lone white guy ...gun nut theory....

[bigunreal]

I live in the Washington suburbs, and I have absolutely no confidence in the authorities' ability to catch the perpetrator. The vast majority of their resources, as is the case in all large metropolitan areas, are channeled into minor traffic offenses; few if any of them can detect any criminal more dangerous than a chronic jaywalker. The last shooting was a perfect example of this. There was a state trooper barely 50 yards away across the street (his attention taken, of course, by writing a ticket for an accident), yet he apparently didn't see anything. This is unbelievable to me. A law enforcement professional, that close to the shooting, in the heightened state of awareness he and his colleagues should be constantly in, is unable to provide any other information than the fact he heard a shot and saw the victim fall? I feel that the shooter(s) won't be caught until he decides to end it all in a blaze of glory or some cop accidently stumbles over him, during a minor traffic stop, as happens so often in these cases.

[nicmarlo]

The News Cartel . . . . I feel that they desperately want this to be a home grown crime series

You're 100% right about this; and they want, most of all, for it to be a white supremecist or militant; recall that when the Anthrax was being mailed, that's the direction of their blame....right wingers in the midwest.

[nicmarlo]

I posted examples of tarot cards on this thread (4), as I didn't remember what the one was that'd I'd seen on the media (nor do I know if they were showing the exact type of death card left behind). I was told the card of death used was of a crusader, which would it card example #1. There's no skeleton on that. (I also suggested if that's the type of card being used, and it's a ME terrorist, there could be an clue in that the Crusaders (Catholics or "Christians") killed many many middle easterners.) Another suggested, since the number XIII is on the card, that has significance with the number of people who will be shot before the next "event" occurs.

[nicmarlo]

see my post #93 for the cards. And I was wrong, there is a skeleton, but only the face of it is shown, the rest is in a suit of armor.

[nicmarlo]

You are probably correct; GeorgeandtheDralgore said he thought he heard someone on the news, however, say the card left was a "crusader" death card. His post was #106, reprinted here:

I think a reporter mentioned a "crusader". So it looks like it would be your first pic. Come to think of it, if the Tarot card is more than a gimmick, then maybe their initiation rite consists in killing XIII (13) people..?

George, can you elaborate any further on what you remember about what the reporter said?

[nicmarlo]

Yes, I was already reminded about the decadence the night before the planes attacked.....memory lapse on my part. And, yes, you're probably right, they believe that anything they do is justified because they are extremists and, additionally, are in a "jihad."

[myself6]

Ahhhh... But remember....

The terrorist cell they broke up in NY consisted of terrorists that were all registered democrats.

[MVV]

Ditto Dog! Way too calculated for me. I will be shocked if we find out that this isn't linked to OBL's group!