Posted on 10/10/2002 5:30:36 AM PDT by Tumbleweed_Connection
Police in the Washington, D.C. area say it is too early to say whether a fatal shooting in a western suburb is related to a recent series of sniper attacks that has left six people dead and two others critically wounded. Authorities say a man was shot and killed late Wednesday as he filled his car at a gasoline station in Manassas, Virginia. Forensic evidence is still being analyzed. The sniper attacks have been linked by ballistics evidence.
Reports say certain elements of the Manassas shooting bear a resemblance to the sniper shootings, which began around the Washington area last Wednesday. Like the man killed in Manassas, all of the sniper victims were shot once, seemingly at random as they performed everyday tasks. Two of the people killed last week also were gunned down at gasoline stations.
Meanwhile, authorities say they are searching for a white van seen driving away from the location of the Manassas shooting. Police have been searching for a white vehicle in connection with the shootings last week. News reports early Wednesday said police discovered what may be the first known communication from the killer: a card used in fortunetelling, said to have written on it a message telling police, "I am God."
The card, known as a Tarot card, reportedly was found, along with a spent shell casing, near a school in a Maryland suburb where a sniper attack Monday left a 13-year-old boy critically wounded.
Police officials say they did not authorize information about the card to be released to the media and refused to comment further on the matter or other details of the investigation. Federal authorities are assisting in the investigation.
While I think someone could get to Bush if they wanted too, I don't think that's the case here. This guy does not want to get caught, contrary to the babble you hear from the profilers on the news channels. Let's take a look at what we know
1) Capability. The guy is a decent shot which points to a military background. While many Freepers have pointed out that any halfway decent hunter could make that shot, they forget that this guy is shooting children. It's 2 different things to hit a deer and to pull the trigger when a child is in the scope.
2)Motive. This guy is not a psycho. He's not throwing 6 or 7 shots into his victims which would indicate rage. He is one shot, one kill all the way. Plus psychos tend to leave clues or establish a pattern. His only motive can be to promote terror and paralyze the area surrounding the nations capital. That would point directly to the Muslims. I don't think it's a home grown "right wing NRA whacko". I think they would have a definite pattern of hitting immigrants, minorities, law enforcement officials,or liberals.
3) Who. I don't think it is a Muslim. While spectacular when it comes to blowing themselves up, they lack the requisite skill to be so methodical on a consistent basis. This guy comes in, sets up the shot, takes it, hits the target, and escapes into thin air, time after time despite the manhunt. He has to be ex-military.
This brings me to my conclusion that it is someone with extensive military training (the marksmanship and the planning) who has done this before (to shoot a child in cold blood is horrific). The conflict in the former Yugoslavia had a number of sniper teams that would target the other sides women and children. That's where I would start to look. I would also check with private firms that specialize in protecting executives overseas to see who the top assassins in the world are. This guy is getting paid very well to do this.
Thanks for the update. Do you have any opinions on my theory that the President's life may have been threatened, or is it common for the President's bodyguards to help out with these types of seaches?
Almost next to it. Certainly less than a quarter of a mile.
I respect Col. North, but he's way off here. I am the age of many early Viet Vets and I still shoot long-range varmit shots well beyond what's being done in these terror shootings. Age is not a measure of shooting skills involved in this situation. Experience, savvy and knowledge are far more important.
I have to disagree with you here. While I am not arguing that it is a muslim doing the shooting, to say, carte blanc, that all muslims are incapable of "the requisite skill to be so methodical " is ill advised. I'd say that 9-11 showed remarkable skill in planning.
However, so much time has gone by that if someone from vietnam era was going to go on a shooting spree you would have thought it would have happened way before this.
Even the tarrot card is nuetral for me.
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