THE REPUBLICANS TOOK BACK THE SENATE.
Posted on 10/11/2002 1:25:42 AM PDT by kattracks
WASHINGTON - After the Beltway's serial sniper pulled off his ninth shooting, authorities vowed yesterday to execute him — and then implored him to surrender.
A 53-year-old engineer was felled by a single .223-caliber bullet fired at long range as he pumped gas after work Wednesday night at a Sunoco gas station near busy Interstate 66 in Manassas, Va.
Dean Meyers collapsed between his Mazda and the gas pumps, becoming the seventh "kill" for the marksman hunting humans in the capital's suburbs.
The bullet struck the left side of Meyers' head, killing him instantly, and apparently no one saw his killer.
It was the sniper's first fatal attack in six days. A woman and a child shot during that interval survived their wounds, leading some experts to speculate that the gunman targeted Meyers' head to ensure his death.
"He didn't kill the child, you see, and that was a torso shot," Maurice Godwin, a criminal psychologist at Methodist College in North Carolina, told The Baltimore Sun. "With a head shot, the man is definitely dead, and that is probably why he did it."
Prince William County prosecutor Paul Ebert said he was itching to hit the sniper with a new Virginia law that mandates the death penalty for anyone who terrorizes the public.
"If I have anything to do with it, we will prosecute in this jurisdiction and do it to the full extent of the law," said Ebert, whose office has sent more people to Death Row than any other in Virginia.
A few minutes later, county Police Chief Charlie Deane begged the maniacal marksman, "Turn yourself in; enough damage has been done."
The disconnect between the two messages illustrated how badly the police are floundering in their search for the sharpshooter who has shot nine people, killing seven and leaving no witnesses.
What seemed like a big early break — a witness report of two men in a white Dodge Caravan driving away from the gas station at the time of the 8:15 p.m. shooting — gradually faded as the day wore on.
Cops initially said the witness wasn't sure there were two men in the car. Later, they called off the minivan search after the driver contacted police and convinced them he wasn't the killer.
The sniper did not make a new attempt at communicating, as he did on Monday, leaving a tarot card at the shooting scene for cops scrawled with, "I am God."
Police have decided to scale back their public briefings, thinking the killer is watching TV and reacting to them.
Last Friday, half an hour after cops said they were calling in a geographical profiler, the sniper left his Maryland hunting ground to shoot a woman 50 miles away in Virginia. And on Monday, a day after cops assured parents their kids would be safe at school, he shot a 13-year-old student in Maryland.
Wednesday's shooting brought the jurisdictions involved to five — Montgomery County and Prince George's County in Maryland, Spotsylvania County and Prince William County in Virginia and the District of Columbia. In addition, half a dozen federal agencies are on the job.
"I've never seen a case where so many resources have been put into an attempt to solve it," Deane said, promising they would work together with "lockstep coordination."
Blanket of worry
Meanwhile, anxiety continued to grip the Beltway suburbs. Outdoor sports and recess were canceled at dozens of schools. Shoppers stayed away from malls, and many drivers opted for full service, figuring it was worth a few extra bucks to have someone else pump their gas.
In official Washington, politicians, staffers and reporters were forwarding one another an e-mail apparently written by a Secret Service expert with tips on how to avoid getting shot.
Among them: Avoid unnecessary errands, go shopping with someone else and don't linger in parking lots.
This is priceless. He'll probably tell you just don't look Hillary in the eye!
How about not wearing blaze orange and purchasing a wool suit in a camo pattern.
The lunatics have secured the asylum and the flag is flying upside down. TGIF.
No, dummy, that's as stupid as "hate crimes" laws. Who defines "terrorizes"? After the first cold-blooded murder, the death penalty should be mandated. Maybe Mr. Ebert is itching to make a name for himself off these dead people.
Check out the Google result for "Dear Mr. Policeman" + "I am God": The whole page is quite interesting, but go to the 2 highlighted parts, both further down the thread. I think the perps are too smart to leave the police a message with stuff they wrote on the internet, so I'd assume the perps have been lurking on that site and got the idea for their message from the posts . They could be trying to set them up too...
**SNIP**
I've said all along "Dear Mr. Policeman: I know where you live, where your wife shops and where your kids go to school. Have a nice day!" ......
Do ya'll remember Detective Mark Fuhrman during the OJ Simpson trial? (He's the one who lied about saying the "N" word)...Remember what he said? "Out there I AM God!".... ALL cops think alike. Those who don't, quit.....
**SNIP
Exactly. Far as I'm concerned, if it's premeditated it gurney ride time.
America's Fifth Column ... watch Steve Emerson/PBS documentary JIHAD! In America
New Link: Download 8 Mb zip file here (60 minute video)
Maybe the police should make a big deal about saying something like the ONLY save place in town is at the Wendys on 7th street (for example), then have the place secretly staked out to the max. The killer(s) would have to be really stupid, but then chances are he is.
Ya' think?
Make sure all middle-eastern people are not nearby.
Take all firearms from American citizens and raise their taxes.
Start thinking you're invisible... do the “serpentine” and pray to Odin.
Crazy-time in America. HA!
Not a good law, even if it is emotionally satisfying. Besides they’ll probably try him in Maryland where there is a “moratorium on the death penalty” thanks to the Glendenning & Townsend show.
Hey, if it works for Peter Falk, it works for me!
Seriously tho, this guy must get caught and soon.
..."Oh, no, there's cans in there, too!"
sniper scene from-The Jerk-
Somebody correct me if I am wrong, but at the range they are guessing he is shooting from, isn't it possible that he isn't quite as "skilled" as one would think, and simply didn't have his scope sighted in right, or miscalculated wind in this case? A torso shot that was meant for the head is what, a less than a foot lower? That could have easily been a miscalculation.
Clearly the Muslims would not hire a woman for this assignment.
Clearly the Muslims would not hire a woman for this assignment.
I recall reading and article r.e. war with Serbs & Albanians, women were used as snipers, they were more effective than their male counterparts. Their preferred shot was a mans genetials. If it is organized terrorism as it appears, it certainly could be a female shooter. What better way to hide in the open. BTW a well known fact, women make better shooters than men in all forms of shooting sports.
From reading Carlos Hathcock's "Marine Sniper", his most-feared foe was a female sniper. She also enjoyed doing unspeakable things to captured G.I.'s.
Don't underestimate him, he has done his homework.
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