Police call in reinforcements in U.S. sniper hunt

Reuters | 10/08/02 | JoAnne Allen

[martin_fierro]

Meet the reenforcements. <|:)~

[OfByForThePeople]

"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."

Tell that to his next victim.

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

How can this be? We have been told the police are supposed to protect us.

The sniper has begun shooting students at school. Schools have been declared free-fire zones to snipers by the federal government. Nobody there can shoot back because the government has made sure nobody in or near a school can LEGALLY carry a firearm. This is the predictable outcome from the disarming of law-abiding citizens. I guess we'll have to call out the National Guard to defend every school in America.

[SLB]

Notice how the LEO continue to think "in the box" on this? If it is a terror related crime they need to realize the guy pulling the trigger is not thinking like the normal criminal. Profiling according to US standards and all the other tricks of the trade may prove to be worthless. They need to be asking the Israeli, Greek or some other police agency who has delt with terrorists for years for advice on this one.

[FlyVet]

I guess we are a great country partly because we don't do "cruel and unusual" punishment. But I dream we could go Colonial on these perps if they ever get caught. How about 8 hours in the stocks every day for 2 weeks? And while they're in the stocks, somebody could walk up to them every day and ask them if they understand WHY they are in their predicament? And if they understand WHY they will be unceremoniously hung at the end of those 2 weeks? Yeah, I know, we don't do stuff like that any more. Never mind.

[FlyVet]

unceremoniously hung

Correction, should have said "hanged".

[RightWinger]

"We're asking parents to walk their kids to schools. We're asking parents to serve as safety patrols."

That won't do any good against a sniper.
Keeping them out of sight is the only thing that can protect them.

[M. T. Cicero II]

It could be for public consumption. But I have been thinking the same as you on this. Trained sniper, military op.

[harpseal]

There is a resistance to believing this is a terrorist incident. That resistance comes from the conviction that "Terrorists will claim credit for their acts." Did they sleep through the 9/11/01 attacks. There was no claim of credit there. There was no claiam of credit in the Kobar Towers bombing, USS Cole bombing etc. etc.

My best guess at this point is the police departments are absolutely clueless about who is behind these attacks. The lone nut case would most likely have been narrowed down some by now. They need to completely investigate that angle along with all the usual procedures

Stay well - Stay safe - Stay armed - Yorktown

[Larry Lucido]

Nobody there can shoot back because the government has made sure nobody in or near a school can LEGALLY carry a firearm. This is the predictable outcome from the disarming of law-abiding citizens.

While I agree with the need for an armed citizenry as the first line of defense against those who would deprive us of liberty, a sniper presents a unique challenge under any circumstances. Perhaps someone more versed in tactics than me can suggest what type of response a few folks armed with handguns can mount following a sniper attack. I can't think of anything except to be prepared to stop and detain someone looking suspicious in the general area from which one or more shots was heard. (For example, perhaps, someone climbing down a fire escape of a tall building with a sniper rifle strapped across his back?)

[Larry Lucido]

Hanged, hung, strung up - it all works for me!

[astounded]

These shootings are in accord with information previously known about al qaeda terror operations. I seem to remember reading about this approach earlier. Why is this not being said in public?

[Larry Lucido]

Several recent muslim attacks have appeared to be lone-nut cases, at least on the surface (the shooting at LAX, the stabbing of the Paris mayor). A lot of lone nuts give themselves away by blabbing after one too many drinks. But if any blabbing is done within a close knit community with an agenda, it may be a while before he mouths off to the wrong person. That's why it wouldn't surprise me if this is someone acting alone but with Allah's "blessing."

[harpseal]

These shootings are in accord with information previously known about al qaeda terror operations. I seem to remember reading about this approach earlier. Why is this not being said in public?

Crowd Control. In short the media and government do not wish to have a public hysteria against practitioners of the "Religion of peace."

Stay well - Stay safe - Stay armed - Yorktown

[harpseal]

Terry Reid the "shoe bomber" was at first considered a "lone nutcase." Lattter evidence proved otherwise. The LAX shooter is allegedly a "lone nutjob," but there are some very good questions about this perp being involved with a terrorist organization. Therefor any possible link needs to be checked out in detail.

Stay well - Stay safe - Stay armed - yorktown

[wcbtinman]

"Why is this not being said in public?"

Because the LEO's are afraid of the backlash if they tell the American public that Muslims are doing this.

[On the Road to Serfdom]

Perhaps someone more versed in tactics than me can suggest what type of response a few folks armed with handguns can mount following a sniper attack.

How about this: An armed citizen walks around the corner and sees a man holding a rifle a 30 yards away. The man fires, and down range it can be seen he hit an unarmed person. Armed citizen pulls out handgun and shoots terrorist 5 times.

The only way this will stop is for a armed good guy to be there when it happens, see it happen, and be close enough to return fire. The odds of this are much greater the more armed good guys are out there. The police are not enough.

[Larry Lucido]

That's why I didn't mention Reid. He may have been a nut but was certainly not acting alone, or on a whim. If/when this guy is discovered to be a moslem, unfettered wrath would justifiably be directed at all those in his community that knew about or encouraged these acts.

[Larry Lucido]

Armed citizen pulls out handgun and shoots terrorist 5 times.

Agreed. More guns, less nutcases.