Beltway Sniper Shootings-FR Commentary-Saturday, Oct. 19, 2002

Fox News, CNN, Press Conferences | October 19, 2002 | Fox News, CNN, Press Conferences

[Peach]

To avoid multiple vanity threads regarding any news from press conferences, let's keep a live commentary thread going again today.

[Peach]

Overnight news: Haven't heard anything regarding the box truck being searched after a bullet casing was found.

[Kerberos]

Last night they were saying there would be nothing on it before 9:00 am

[Peach]

Ping, Prayer Thread Here

[Peach]

Thanks, I'll try to listen in at 9:00. Have to run out for a while - will check in later.

[Quilla]

Saturdays are a bit hectic around my house, but I'll be checking in throughout the day. Just wanted to thank you for today's (and everyday's) thread. Thanks, you're a peach!

[DonQ]

I had a brief chat with a DC policeman last night (he was guarding my synagogue's Friday evening service). The Monday night shooting was positively the same weapon as some of the other shootings. The guy who deliberately invented the story about seeing the sniper get into a cream colored Astro is now in jail; they are wondering if he has a grudge against someone with a cream colored Astro (or if he's buddies with the real sniper).

The Monday night shooting was definitely out of whatever pattern was being theorized; it took place fairly late (altho one other shooting was equally late), on a holiday (Columbus Day), when there was no rush hour traffic, and presumably he wouldn't be working, etc. Now they suspect that the sniper is not living in a cave but actually sees TV, hears the radio, maybe even surfs the internet, and got wind of the various theories and patterns ... and deliberately took a chance to do a killing outside the pattern that would seem to blow away some of the theories. (Maybe it doesn't, maybe he had to make special efforts to do it on Monday night).

What is pretty clear is that this sniper is deliberately using the same weapon. You'd figure someone this savvy with guns - and especially since the newspapers are full of talk about the ballistics tests - would have a collection or at least access to other guns, and would realize that ever being found with the hot gun would be an open and shut case. So he is deliberately doing something very risky by keeping the same weapon ... maybe to enable the ballistics tests to prove it is the same sniper over and over, no copycats.

I am still wondering if the business about the white truck is not a mistake. There are thousands of them in use (they come off the assembly line of every manufacturer blank white so the purchaser can paint and letter them for his business easily), and driving around - especially around shopping malls where the sniper usually strikes - you can see another one every minute. So maybe it's pure coincidence that a white truck is seen at so many of the shootings.

Considering the sniper picks places with active parking lots, maybe he has parked (a very ordinary car -- not a white truck) in the lot, takes his weapon and finds his spot, then immediately dumps his weapon back in his parked car and gets lost in the confusion of all the other people in the parking lot who mill around the scene and then leave in a panic. The cops aren't stopping or examining ordinary cars, they're focusing on white delivery trucks.

[Kerberos]

Now they are saying press conference at noon.

[CPL BAUM]

I drove by the last attack scene on my way home from work yesterday and took a close gander at the area Antivenom hypothesizes as the shooting location. He was right on the money. The shot was taken from the parking lot on the opposite side of Route 50. The back of the lot opposite HD has a good treeline which affords cover and concealment. It would be hard to spot muzzle flash from RT 50 as you would have to turn your head 90 degrees to see it. As you are heading westbound on 50 (side closest to the shooter), there are buildings that would mask the shot from oncoming traffic until you were right on top of it. More so if you were from the shooting location to the far right of his diagram. The other advantage is that there is an entrance ramp on that right-hand side that puts you right onto 50. Otherwise you end up heading up an access road, hitting a stoplight, then getting on 50 at a nasty merge area. The elevation delta, I would estimate at being closer to 15 ft.

Ultimate CONCLUSION: This guy has to be scouting his locations beforehand. The location is well thought out - and egress plays a HUGE part of it. I've driven by that area 100 times - and NEVER even noticed the parking lot.

Interesting note re the box truck - there is a "TOTAL Car and Truck Rental" that claims "We are convenient to Baltimore/Washington Airport, Dulles International Airport, and the Washington National Airport, Pennsylvania and Delaware."

SEE:

http://www.totalcarent.qpg.com/

[Quilla]

Interesting post! As to your question why this guy is just using one gun out of a possible collection of guns, I have a theory. If he ever decided to stop this insanity, he would only have the one gun to dispose of, thereby keeping his collection intact.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Yes, we have posted in detail (w/ a weblink) on this Car/Truck agency on FR well over a week ago and it's correlation to the writing mentioned on the truckt ('Total' something) and their locations. It is a possibility.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

BBC - Police investigating the sniper attacks around Washington DC are examining a bullet casing found in a white van near the scene of some of the shootings.

The vehicle - matching the profile of a van sought in the hunt for the gunman - was discovered near Washington's Dulles Airport and has been taken away for examination.
[snip]

[Oldeconomybuyer]

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.
[snip]

[leadpenny]

I hope the police are looking at the possibility that the shooter may live in one of those appartments on the north side of 50. Maybe it was just some evening work for him and he never left the area?

[nicmarlo]

This guy has to be scouting his locations beforehand. The location is well thought out - and egress plays a HUGE part of it

I agree and I bet that's what he/they are doing right now (maybe in a new city/state). And, what he/they have done the past couple of weeks is also RECON on:

1. how it is affecting: people, police, ER, media, etc.;
2. how the police respond/operate;
3. what the police "say they know"

Who knows what else they're "testing." But THEY definitely have more info. on how to do an even BETTER JOB in their next location(s).

[CPL BAUM]

If this was, indeed, the sniper's rented vehicle - then it souldn't be too long before they nab him. It would be difficult to imagine renting out a vehicle of that size without a credit card to secure it - and without copying the driver's license of the individual renting it. I doubt the shell was left intentionally. The only real question remaining is whether the firing pin marks on the shell casing match the firing pin marks on the Tasker Middle School shell casing...an answer I'm sure they've already answered internally.

[tomkat]

The Monday night shooting was positively the same weapon as some of the other shootings.

so your cop buddy is saying it's for sure the same particular weapon ?
or merely the same caliber weapon ?
relevance notwithstanding, there's a big difference there ...

[tomkat]

g'morning, hostess   

just pretend you didn't see us hogging up your thread w/dog pictures last night, k ?

[livius]

"there is a "TOTAL Car and Truck Rental" that claims "We are convenient to Baltimore/Washington Airport, Dulles International Airport, and the Washington National Airport...

I would not be surprised if there is an airport connection in this. Perhaps the driver worked for a package delivery company located at the airport and therefore knew the area roads very well, and even may have returned to the airport after the shootings.

As for Total Rental, it's amazing to think that the police, having had a description of a truck with Total [something] painted on the side, didn't simply pick up a phone book and look for local businesses named "Total [something]." Surely a vehicle rental firm with such a name would have jumped right out at them. But maybe not.

[Catspaw]

tomcat, I thought they had IDed the bullet (or more likely, bullet fragments) in Linda Franklin's killing as coming from the same gun as the other murders attributed to the Beltway sniper (or whatever is his current moniker). That was done on Tuesday.

[Sacajaweau]

Good Review CPL:

Always said they had to recon the sites first and likely even took pictures. Some sites have motion lights and he has to know where all the lights,cameras, steps etc.. are. If you're doing night shots, you better be pretty sure of your footsteps.

I'd search the ex-schools "Internal" and "External" videos. He may have walked right in (in broad daylight within the few pre-ceeding days for something as he cased the site).

Re: TOTAL rental site. Wouldn't it be a rip if they printed out the web 5% discount and brought it in when they rented the vehicle (because they're so "cheap") to make sure they got the discount. They may be remembered just because they brought it in...the regulars knowing that it's always the deal.

Optimistic?? We need "lady luck", too!

P.S. I just looked out my window. The white car stood out like a sore thumb. The red car also sticks out but not "brilliant" like the white car. The ten+- other vehicles are dark and I can't tell whether they are gray, blue or green. It's overcast today and 8:45... and within 1 hour of 6 of the shots.

Sac