"Profilers: Montgomery County Shooters are Likely From Area"

WUSA 9 News, Associated Press ^ | October 4, 2002 | The Associated Press

[Hail Caesar]

Profilers: Montgomery County Shooters are Likely From Area

Whoever killed five people with single shots in Montgomery County is probably a white man in his 20s or early 30s who lives nearby, two former FBI profilers said Thursday.

The shooter and an accomplice likely dumped the white truck police were looking for Thursday night, the experts said. "That vehicle will be in a garage or a lake," said Clinton Van Zandt, a former FBI agent.

Both Van Zandt and another former profiler, Robert K. Ressler, said it's unlikely that one person carried out the killings. They said one person was probably the shooter, while the other drove the truck.

The two suspects are "giving themselves high-fives" as they shoot victims in a Columbine-like spree that Van Zandt said won't end until they're caught.

"They're moving - they like it," he said. "This is emotional heroin for them."

Ressler likened the spree to that of Andrew Cunanan, the suspected killer of fashion designer Gianni Versace and four other people. Cunanan died in an apparent suicide as police cornered him on a Florida houseboat in 1997.

"You're dealing with not a serial killer, not a mass murderer, but a spree killer," Ressler said.

Serial killers go though "emotional cooling-off periods" that could span days or even months. In this case, the killings were only hours apart.

The pair could be fugitives in their mid-to-late 20s or early 30s, with nothing to lose, Van Zandt said.

"One or both of these guys feel they've been ditched by the world," he said. "This is 'get-even,' this is 'level the playing field,' this is 'sharp stick in the eye."'

He said the suspects are also probably from the Montgomery County area, either living there, working there or with family connections to the area.

Both experts said crimes like this are generally solved by eyewitnesses or friends who notice that the suspects have disappeared.

"There are people out there right now who have suspicions," Van Zandt said.

[concerned about politics]

"It's possible," he added, that the suspects could be Middle Eastern.

That's the kind of thing people fear. The Muslims just start shooting. Schools, grocery stores, etc. They wouldn't be caught until many were dead.
This is a good argument for the second ammendment, but the way they did it this time is something someone wouldn't see comming.
Hispanic, or middle Eastern. That's not refered to as "white" unless they're doing something wrong. If they were heros, it would say "people of color." Geez.

[Hail Caesar]

True, but, those are clones, not REAL AK-47s.

[LikeLight]

Freakishly, I accidently watched part of NBC nightly news the other night . . . they were talking about other Dems being PO'ed at Gephart for standing on the lawn with W . . . they discribed these PO'ed Dems as LIBERAL . . . my jaw just about hit the floor . . . I didn't even know they knew that word existed (they think L - I - B - E - R - A - L spells "moderate")

[RightWhale]

probably a white man in his 20s or early 30s who lives nearby

That's who they look for first. It is profiling, and they do it because it works.

[Hail Caesar]

so, you are against racial "profiling"?

[concerned about politics]

Thus, each day they have begun the attacks at, or near, a store named Michaels to symbolize their mission.

Or the stores have parking lots with quick get away routes.

[LikeLight]

Victims have been a virtual model of ethnic diversity . . . white, black, indian . . . all Americans

[concerned about politics]

Does anyone know if the victims appeared to be wealthy americans? or jewish americans?

I've noticed they avoided reporting that. Maybe there's nothing. Maybe just being American is enough.

[Prodigal Son]

Two Hispanics Sought In DC Area Killings

Article says they could be "middle eastern" as well.

[concerned about politics]

They reciently arrested 3(?)Guys and 1 gal linked to Al Quata in the US. Two are still missing.
They say they're overseas, maybe they're not, really.

[ET(end tyranny)]

The word "terrorism" has been terribly abused and misused since 9/11 - primarily for political reasons by those more intent on power plays and control than revenge and vindication.

And sometimes the word terrorist is NOT used, but 'evil doers' is used instead.

[Midwestguy]

Thanks all for the welcome.

I agree that my suppositions are pretty tenuous. It is distinctly possible that today's shooting in VA is either a copycat, or just coincidentally located near another Michaels' because the store is near an easy escape route. However, god forbid, if anymore shootings occur in the next day or two at or near a Michaels', I really hope that LE personnel start to consider that the location is being chosen for either symbolic purposes or as a pre-arranged signal to others.

[Gigantor]

Bump for Sergio!

[Hail Caesar]

Just saw him on Chris Matthew's national show called "HARDBALL". If more people reading the original news article and thread would do a reality check, they would find that former agent Van Zandt is still regarded as the premier "profiling" expert in the U.S.

Now, on the other hand, if people here are opposed to racial/whatever "profiling" as a matter of principle, then it is understandable why they would be "offended" by his theory that the perps are probably white males.

[LikeLight]

Latest new thread has fresh BOLO going out for Robert Baker, white male in pick-up truck . . .

[concerned about politics]

his theory that the perps are probably white males.

I wonder how his brain came to that conclusion. How could he even guess their color? I can understand maybe a "why", but the color thing is strange.

[Prodigal Son]

Latest new thread has fresh BOLO going out for Robert Baker, white male in pick-up truck . . .

Yeah I caught that one too:

Breaking- MD/DC Spree Killer Lookout Update

I wonder what happened to the second suspect?

[El Gato]

The shooter(s) used .223 caliber bullets, therefore extremely unlikely to have come from an AK-47 or Uzi !!

Uzi's yes, AK-47s, presuming you mean semi auto clones thereof, no. Polytech (ChiCom) was, I think, the first to chamber the 5.56X45/.223 (OK not quite the same thing) in the Kalishnikov design. Now VEPR (Russian) and a couple of others do too. It could even have been a 5.45X39, which is the current standard round for Russian and other former Soviet or Soviet block armies, and it's (both ammo and guns) available here too.

[LikeLight]

This thing has been odd from the get-go . . . probably never was a second suspect . . . I'm done for . . .

[Hail Caesar]

The profile "Hispanic" is not race based. Many "hispanics" are caucasians (read: of the "white" race).

Many people of "Middle Eastern" origin are also "white", though of the semitic genetic strain.

Therefore, the use of the term "white" does not solely apply to those of Western European descent.