Posted on 10/08/2002 12:56:54 AM PDT by kattracks
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With few clues and little progress in the hunt for the sniper who has killed six people and wounded two others in the Washington region, local authorities called in more federal agents and urged parents to look out for their children when schools open on Tuesday.
The random shootings have rattled people living in and around the U.S. capital, where many residents are still unnerved by last year's September 11 strike on the Pentagon and letters sent afterward containing anthrax spores.
The latest victim, a 13-year-old student, was shot once in the upper body and critically wounded on Monday outside his school in Bowie, Maryland. Police said ballistics and other evidence linked the assault to the seven other attacks across the region last week.
The teenager from Prince George's County remained in critical condition after surgery at the Children's National Medical Center in Washington.
Five people, aged 25 to 55, were killed in Maryland's Montgomery County on Wednesday and early Thursday. A 72-year-old man was shot to death in Washington on Thursday and on Friday, a 43-year-old woman was shot and wounded in Fredericksburg, Virginia, 130 km south of the Maryland and Washington shootings.
Flanked by high-level local, state and federal law enforcement officials, Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose announced late Monday that he had written to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft seeking additional assistance under a federal law pertaining to serial killings.
"Because of the magnitude of the investigation and the likelihood that we're going to need additional resources, I am writing to the attorney general to initiate a formal request for assistance," Moose said.
Federal law enforcement agencies had been assisting in the case since last Thursday, the day after the first murder. An official at the FBI office in Baltimore, Special Agent Kevin Lewis, said Moose's request would give the premier federal law enforcement agency a bigger role in the manhunt.
Though police have had little to go in the search for a sniper described by police as a skilled marksman who needed only one shot to murder his victims, authorities insist they are not dismayed by the lack of progress.
"We are not frustrated. We are not disappointed. We are not discouraged," Montgomery County Executive Douglas Duncan told reporters. "We are angry and outraged that someone would do this to our loved ones and our neighbours.
He added: "We're asking parents to walk their kids to schools. We're asking parents to serve as safety patrols." he said. "We need everyone to do their part to bring this killer to justice."
If these shooters were cautious and set their vehicle up properly, there'd be no need to flee quickly. They could hang around for some time until just before the cops showed up then slowly drive off.
And what BETTER place to wage a campaign of offing innocent victims than Montgomery County, MD and DC (now GUN FREE schools!) where only the cops -- and the bad guys -- are SUPPOSED to have guns.
The shooting in VA MAY have been a bad choice as I believe VA does have a CCW law on the books.
These morons MAY have some surprises if they try this crap down south.
Safety patrols?
His intention is to weave a convincing theory that the "right wing militia" was trying to blame the massacre on Muslims to stir up violence against them. This false theory is accepted by ABCNNBCBS and most American sheeple.
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In the Maryland case, where clues are so few, it would be simple to leave false clues to blame right wingers, Muslims, or any other group the actual shooter wanted to blame. In my novel, someone snipes a very pro gun control Senator and left false clues at his sniper's lair: cigarette butts, candy wrappers and soda cans he picked up from where DC police took a break. Their fingerprints and DNA causes quite a stir!
Now I do not claim to know who did either the snipings or the anthrax. I do know it is reasonable to supect Al Qaeda in bith instances. Al Qaeda with Iraq in the anthrax case.
Now as to our DC area sniper/assassin I would suggest that this morning's layoff does indicate that the shooter(?s?) is/are laying low to evaluate the police response before continuing the shootings. In short our shooter is either planning very well or so screwed up he is just plain keeping the PD at bay because he is so screwed up. My gut instinct says it could well be an Islao-facist but I can not rule out any theory and my problem is with people who are convinced they have the truth.
Stay well - Stay safe - Stay armed - yorktown
I have yet to see any indications that it would be an arayan nations type anti-government shooter. That of course does not mean it couldn't turn out that way but unless or until someone has some facts that point to that direction I will take the fact that the broad cross section of the victims is a contra-indication of that.
Likewise I see no evidence to indicate Black sepratist involvement. The two primary directions to be looking at are the nut job and Islamo-facist secnario. I note that there are a whole lot more instances where the Islamic terrorists have done their mischief and tried to get outa dodge than the straight suicide scenarios. Further, it might be a whole lot easier recruiting job if suicide is not a requirement only an option.
The use of Whitman as an exception is probably not relevant because when he did his random killing he was also committing to capture or death. This killer has yet to do that.
Stay well - stay safe - stay armed - Yorktown
BUT, we are in a war, and until it is ruled out, we must treat it as enemy action. What's the old saying, "one shot is an accident, two is a coincidence, three is enemy action?"
How can we fight the threat of Paraguayan cross dressing thrill killers? Can we ban Spanish-language show tunes? (grin)
The shooter is "using" the current terrorism scenario in order to win a bet - the bet is that he can commit 12 perfect crimes and get away with it. In this scenario, the shooter (remote-control artist, really) caps a dozen people and then disposes of all his gear out in international waters...then just lies low and collects his bet. His bet is with someone else he knows who has already done the same thing, just not with the publicity this case has generated.
In other words, there is no hate. No terrorism-for-cause, no "thrill" killing. Just someone out to prove that it IS possible to do this and get away with it sans a mob organization as shield.
I'm guessing we're near the end of the string. The shooter will simply stop his activities before LE gets enough of a clue to even get close. I'm also guessing the shooter knows the profiling scheme and has laid a false trail for the profilers.
Michael
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