I-270 Shootings (Columbus, Ohio Sniper)

NBC 4 Columbus ^ | November 28, 2003

[flutters]

I hope the tips pan out and they catch this guy soon.

[Orangedog]

Me too. I live in Grove City, so that whack-job is target practicing a little too close to home for my comfort.

[WackyKat]

Martin would not speculate on the type of weapon used and said investigators are avoiding the word "sniper."

Instead, they are calling the suspect a "person-who-hides-in-bushes-and-shoots-at-people-far-away"

Maybe it's the two white militia guys driving a white van that Chief Moose was lookin for.

[BillF]

Stay safe, staytrue.

[JennysCool]

the two white militia guys driving a white van that Chief Moose was lookin for

I wonder if that book we heard so much about a few weeks ago sold outside of the immediate family.

[Walkingfeather]

what they need is the ballistic accoustic radar. It triangulates the sound and marks the location of the shot in about a second. If they have this set up for a week they will nail this punk.

[buccaneer81]

I live in Groveport. My step-daughter has been told no more movies at the Georgesville Regal. I work on the West side. I go up 33 to 70 now. I had a rock dropped on my windshield from the Hall Rd. overpass last April. Plus there have been the concrete bag drops from the Lockbourne Rd. overpass.
I'm furious that the Franklin County Sheriff's office sat on this until somebody was killed. They're just incompetent jailors who graduate to "patrol" and "law enforcement". The only fat cops in Franklin County. Just look at Karnes. He cuts quite a dashing figure, huh?

[Orangedog]

In Columbus?! The police in Columbus were too busy buying things that generate revenue for the city, like fancy intruments to detect if the tint on your car windows is dark enough to cite you.

[buccaneer81]

Actually, as a victim of the divorce industry, I find CPD the most sympathetic and helpful LEO I've dealt with. Want to see bias and corruption? Take a look at Delaware County Sheriff's Office nad the Delaware City PD.

[Orangedog]

A buddy of mine had a job delivering pizza the same time I did when we were in school. One night he plowed through a row of mailboxes because he was huffing off a can of the compressed gas used to clean out computers. He's now a detective on the Columbus police force. Before he was promoted, I used to call him Sheriff Coletrane, because he wrecked a number a cruisers (I believe he had given up the gas then, so it was even funnier). At about the same time, he generating a lot of citizen complaints while assigned to the bottoms for exessive use of mace.

My confidence in the Columbus police force and the Franklin County Sheriff's office is understandably low. Hopefully one of the locals picks off this idiot so we can use that area of 270 again soon.

You may want to suggest that your step-daughter takes 104 all the way to Georgesville Rd if she wants to see movies at the Regal.

[reformed_democrat]

Does anyone know what time of day these shootings are occuring?

I can't remember if the DC sniper was random or not. IIRC, the shootings there happened at all hours.

Just curious -- I usually travel through Columbus on my annual Christmas road trip, but will try to avoid that area this year. Think I'll go via Florida this time.

[Orangedog]

The CPD told me to find somewhere else to stay when my (now) ex-wife admitted that she tried to strangle me one night. She also told them that if I stayed there, they would be back for me with a body bag. I was younger and more naive then, but now I'm just thankful that I didn't end up getting arressted for failure to die.

[flutters]

Martin would not speculate on the type of weapon used and said investigators are avoiding the word "sniper."

Instead, they are calling the suspect a "person-who-hides-in-bushes-and-shoots-at-people-far-away"

LOL. The investigators may be avoiding the word 'sniper' but they are the only ones.

[Orangedog]

Just stay off of 270 and you should be ok. They haven't released the times of day these shootings took place.

[flutters]

They've happened at all hours. The lady was killed around 10:00am. I think the person lives near the area.

[flutters]

Some of the times have been released via press articles. I've got some of them on another thread. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1029064/posts

[flutters]

I found this article on google. This guy may have been around for awhile.

http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2002/10/18/loc_oh-highwayshootings18.html

Friday, October 18, 2002
Copycat sniper not ruled out in two I-71 shootings

The Associated Press
COLUMBUS - State Highway Patrol investigators haven't ruled out the possibility that shots fired at two vehicles on Interstate 71 could have been the work of a sniper copycat, a spokesman said.
"Nothing has been ruled out," including the prospect that the shooter is a copycat inspired by the recent sniper killings in the Washington area, Lt. Gary Lewis said Wednesday.
"We don't know if it was kids, farmers, hunters or if it was intentional."
The shootings occurred Tuesday evening on I-71 near the Ohio 95 interchange in Morrow County, about 50 miles north of Columbus.
A car and a tractor-trailer rig traveling northbound both had passenger-side windows shot out, but nobody was hurt.
State and Morrow County investigators combed the area for clues on Wednesday.
The driver of the car, Jeffrey Vanloon, 50, of near West Salem in Medina County, said when his window exploded he thought at first it had been hit by a rock or deer.
But he said he quickly ruled that out as he slowed down and passed a truck with its passenger window shattered.
Truck driver Kathleen Roeland, 55, and her passenger, Harry Bailey, 51, both of Rochester, N.Y., were hit first.
"It was pretty scary," Ms. Roeland said.
"Traffic is bad enough; you don't need someone shooting at you."
Mr. Vanloon and the truckers found bullet holes in the doors of the semi and the car.
"I think he was shooting at our windows. One inch over on the truck, and he would have hit the passenger in the head," Mr. Vanloon said.
Mr. Vanloon, who had been driving home after a staff meeting at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources in Columbus, arrived about three hours overdue.
He had called his wife to tell her he would be late - and why.
"She was flabbergasted, as you could imagine, and quite shook up," he said.
"She just grabbed me and said she was glad to see me and have me home."

[Orangedog]

Thanks for the info. I knew that they had released the time that the woman who died was shot, but missed the articles on the others.

If I hit the lotto this week, one of those armored BMW's will be on my shopping list.

[flutters]

Don't forget to buy your FReeper friends one too. :)

I can't believe they didn't connect the shootings sooner. Darn shame someone had to die before they put two and two together.

[chance33_98]

I drive this route to work m-f (23 to 270). Thinking maybe of taking 104.....