so you're contending that this guy(s) intended to kill nine, but only wound two,
just to make some numerological point ?
while not impossible, i'll leave the deed to the farm right where it is, thanks.
Posted on 10/19/2002 1:34:47 AM PDT by kattracks
ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) -- Police were examining a shell casing found in a white truck -- the same type of vehicle police have profiled in the sniper case -- as Virginia authorities charged a man with misleading investigators in the probe.
Montgomery County Police Capt. Nancy Demme said the shell was found in a white box truck Friday evening by workers at a car rental agency near Dulles International Airport in Virginia. Officials said it was unclear if the truck has anything to do with the shooter who has killed nine people and wounded two others in Washington, Maryland and Virginia since Oct. 2.
A white box truck is a type of vehicle the police have profiled in the case.
Also Friday, Matthew Dowdy, 37, of Falls Church, Va., was charged with making a false statement concerning Monday's killing of FBI analyst Linda Franklin at a Fairfax County Home Depot store. Authorities said Dowdy falsely described an olive-skinned man and a cream-colored Chevrolet Astro van with a burned-out taillight at the scene of one killing.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail. Dowdy was ordered held without bail pending a hearing Monday.
Northeastern University criminologist James Fox said false witnesses aren't routinely prosecuted. But authorities likely were aggressive with Dowdy because of the damage he caused to their case, he said.
"They are probably trying to make an example of him, almost to punish him for the extent of the frustration that they have," Fox said.
However, Fox said prosecuting Dowdy shouldn't deter other witnesses for coming forward.
"If this guy outright lied and did deceive on purpose, then it should not have a chilling effect on other witnesses," he said.
Also on Friday, investigators revisited crime scenes.
Fairfax County officers combed an area across the highway from the Home Depot. Previously, reporters and bystanders had been allowed to tramp all over that area.
"That's not the first time the surrounding area had been checked," said Fairfax County Police Officer Julie Hersey said. "It wasn't a result of us finding that the witness was not credible."
Still, Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose, who is leading the multi-jurisdictional investigation, said crime scene perimeters need to be expanded.
"We needed to make it larger," he said of the Falls Church scene. "We are learning as we go."
Friday's developments came as the break in the shooting spree stretched into a fifth day. Before Franklin's killing, the longest gap between shootings was three days, and the previous long gaps included weekends.
Until now, the killer has been seen as a "weekday warrior," Fox said. If he does strike this weekend, it might be to prove again that he cannot be classified, categorized or profiled.
"It could be that he's just planning his next move," Fox said. "Maybe he feels he needs to do some extra homework."
U.S. investigators are questioning terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba about whether they had any information about the sniper attacks, a law enforcement official confirmed Friday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The official characterized the interviews as an effort to cover all possible investigative avenues, adding that officials do not necessarily believe al-Qaida might be responsible for or even knowledgeable about the shootings.
Meanwhile, Moose said the investigation into whether a Sept. 14 shooting at a Silver Spring beer and wine store is connected is continuing.
Police responded to numerous false alarms, including a report of two camouflage-clad men in a white van Friday who turned out to be bowhunters. A report of a shattered window at an office building turned out to be "hot/cold dynamics," Moose said.
More than 1,000 federal, state and local law enforcements agents are working on the case, according to Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson.
Two shooting victims were scheduled to be buried Saturday.
Dean H. Meyers, 53, of Gaithersburg, who was killed Oct. 9 at a Prince William County gas station, will be laid to rest in Pottstown, Pa. Pascal Charlot, 72, gunned down Oct. 3 while standing on a Washington street corner, will be buried in Washington.
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EDITOR'S NOTE: Allen G. Breed is the AP's Southeast regional writer, based in Raleigh, N.C.
Copyright 2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
so you're contending that this guy(s) intended to kill nine, but only wound two,
just to make some numerological point ?
while not impossible, i'll leave the deed to the farm right where it is, thanks.
It has now been 5 days since the last shooting. And, by the way, 9 of the 11 victims are dead.
Numerical coincidence?
If this rental van proves to be the connection, we will all have to begin worrying - Where is the sniper headed next?
I suspect that they are holding him because he's a bit player--he may have been there as back-up to ensure they got away. I don't think the team really thought he'd get arrested.
Absolutely. And likewise, anyone who claims responsibility for a terrorist act should be punished exactly as if they were in fact responsible for it--no matter the alibi they have for the actual crime.
I see....
nowdays
prosecuting someone is only done out of malice.
Very sloppy, if so--not necessary to the operation, and a possible security leak . . .
ROCKVILLE, Maryland (CNN) -- Investigators of the Washington-area sniper shootings Friday night seized a white box truck after a shell casing was found inside the vehicle at a Virginia car rental agency, Montgomery County Police said.
The caliber of the casing is unknown at this point. The casing and the truck are to be examined by forensics experts at an undisclosed location. The federal bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is expected to have results of ballistics testing on the shell casing no sooner than 9 a.m. Saturday.
The Montgomery County Police Department, which is leading the multi-jurisdictional task force to find the sniper who has killed nine people and wounded two others since October 2, has sent a team of investigators to the rental car agency.
The shootings have taken place in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.
Authorities would not say when Friday night they seized the vehicle or how they were tipped to it.
However, a source close to the investigation said an employee at a rental agency near Washington Dulles International Airport found the shell casing when he was cleaning out the truck and then notified authorities.
Police would not disclose further details about the truck, for instance, if it had lettering on the side or a damaged right rear bumper as did the composite graphic of a suspect vehicle some witnesses have reported near shooting scenes in Maryland.
Police also said they are still actively searching for the vehicle in that composite and still want the public to provide information pertaining to the shootings.
The thing that strikes me is, are police only now checking rental agencies? With the number of different vehicles used, (at least 3) that would have been one of my first steps.
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