Time to employ some technology.NOON BRIEFING by Montgomery County Chief of Police Charles Moose:
US Atty Gen Ashcroft has pledged whatever support is needed to the regional task force investigating the sniper attacks.
No new incidents as of noon today, investigation moving forward.
195 local, state, district, and federal agents working on the case full time. Hundreds of others are contributing.
Q: "Was this a terrorist act?" Chief Moose demurred.
Hillandale Liquor Store incident September 14 may be related.
Investigators will not elaborate further on forensic evidence. It is rumored that a shell casing was recovered from the woods near Tasker School in Bowie, but authorities will not comment.
No suspects at this time.
"We have a lot of work to do."
Next briefing at 3:00 pm EDT.
UPDATE: Police now confirm that a shell casing was retrieved from the crime scene at Benjamin Tasker Middle School in Bowie, and is being analyzed by the ATF.
UPDATE 2: JJ Johnson of the Sierra Times says "None Dare Call it Terrorism."
[N]othing - absolutely nothing since September 11, 2001 will be called terrorism. Not the American Airlines flight over New York City a year ago, not the string of oil refinery explosions, unexplained train derailments, not the nutcases attacking Greyhound bus drivers, and heaven forbid - that Anthrax thing was an anomaly, just like the West Nile Virus and the new cases of malaria popping up in the same area of the shooting. Just individual crazed lunatics mind you, not terrorism.I'm guessing they won't call this terrorism, either.
UPDATE 3: News conference with MC Chief of Police Charles Moose et al coming up, live via WTOP.
MC Executive Doug Duncan:
Visited several schools during the day, spoke with students. Attending fourth funeral in four days tomorrow. Victims' families are devastated.
Reward fund is up to over $237,000, mostly due to small donations:
Montgomery County Reward Fund
Executive Office Building
101 Monroe Street
Rockville, MD 20850
Chief Moose:
No new acts of violence, no new investigative breaks in the case.
UPDATE 4: Prince Georges County Police responded massively to a citizen report of a man with a gun in the vicinity of High Point High School in Beltsville, MD.
No arrests have been made.
UPDATE 5: PG County Police have called off the search at High Point, having found nothing of interest. The students have been allowed to go home.
UPDATE 6: The Fredericksburg shooting victim has been released from the hospital and sent home to recuperate.
The thirteen-year-old victim in Bowie remains in critical but stable condition.
UPDATE 7: Press conference with PG County Chief of Police Gerald Wilson.
Level of police presence in schools will continue until killer is "brought to justice."
Working with "Regional Coalition partners" to identify and apprehend shooter.
Images of rifle cases distributed to media.
No linkage yet between shell casing found at Tasker Middle School and shootings. ATF is analyzing shell casing.
All future press conferences will be done through Regional Coalition headquartered in Rockville, MD. Agencies will speak with one voice.
Time to employ some technology. Note the Realplayer configuration instructions on the page.