Serial sniper suspected in convenience store killings in W.Va. (same caliber and class of weapon)

Daily Press ^ | 8/15/03 | JOEDY McCREARY

[stlnative]

Serial sniper suspected in convenience store killings in W.Va.

By JOEDY McCREARY Associated Press Writer

August 15 2003

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Bullets that killed three victims this week outside Kanawha County convenience stores were fired from the same caliber and class of weapon, police said Friday night, but they stopped short of saying they were fired from the same gun.

"All three balls had the same characteristics," Kanawha County Sheriff Dave Tucker said after getting ballistics results from a State Police crime lab. "But we can't say for sure it's the same gun."

Police warned residents not to visit convenience stores alone and stepped up patrols Friday, saying a single shooter could be responsible for the deaths of the three people in and around West Virginia's capital.

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[xm177e2]

Maybe an '06 with a sabot.

Maybe he was using a G11 with caseless ammo.

[countrydummy]

It would have to be a magnum 22, not a bolt. So I doubt that, at the yards....little more power.

[countrydummy]

good point!

[rockfish59]

Balls?

Minie balls?
Hard balls?
Cannon Balls?

[Lion Den Dan]

Think he is using a 243 or a 30.06?

___________________

I think it is a white Dodge van with a 318.

[JOHANNES801]

A 36cal.muzzle loader.

[Dick Vomer]

Geez...... how about a simple .223 round. It's common, it deforms and multiple people have trained with it. It sounds like they're trying to say a "ball" is the same thing as a "lump" of lead. The bullet deformed and that's what they've got.

This would be the one good thing about video surveillance cameras ..... a camera might catch the car or truck on tape.

Somebody should ask the police if they've checked out the store's cameras... or a nearby bank or mall or some business that may have had a camera on at the time.... just a thought.

[CPOSharky]

It would have to be a magnum 22, not a bolt.

If by "bolt" you mean bolt action rifle, would you care to explain how "a magnum 22" would exclude a "bolt"?

[CPOSharky]

Ball.

Most military ammo is "ball" meaning Full Metal Jacket (FMJ). That makes me think that maybe an ex-military was describing what may have been military "ball" projectiles that were recovered.

There are lots of high velocity cartridges in the 22 caliber family. Most match grade ammo for these calibers are "ball."

[mountaineer]

Charleston Gazette:

Police speculated Friday that a large, white male driving a black pickup with an extended cab may be responsible for Thursday night’s killings outside two Kanawha County convenience stores, and possibly others. [In WV, chances are an assailant would be white, considering the population of the state is at least 95 percent white]

Kanawha Sheriff Dave Tucker said at a Friday afternoon media conference that the killer “could be a possible serial-type murderer.”

Both victims of Thursday night’s convenience store shootings, Jeanie Patton, 31, and Okey Meadows, 26, were shot in the head area in a manner similar to the shooting of Gary Carrier Jr., 44, who was shot outside a Charleston convenience store Sunday night. Initial tests of the bullets in all three shootings revealed the same characteristics, but investigators have not concluded the bullets were fired from the same weapon, said Kanawha County Chief Deputy Phil Morris.

“That’s one step closer to saying they come from the same gun,” Morris said. “We’ve just moved a big step closer.”

The State Police tests, which were completed late Friday evening, linked the three bullets to small-caliber weapons, Morris said. He declined to elaborate on the results of the preliminary tests. State Police weapon analysts will return today to continue testing the bullet fragments.

Patton was gunned down while pumping gas outside the Speedway convenience store on Campbells Creek Drive about 10:25 p.m. Less than hour later, and about 10 miles away, Meadows was fatally shot outside a Cedar Grove convenience store. Patton was shot in the head and Meadows was shot in the neck, police said. Investigators think the two Campbells Creek residents were shot from a distance with a small-caliber rifle.

The Cedar Grove shots were fired from a distance of 60-70 yards, Morris said. “We don’t believe a handgun was used,” he said.

A person also at the Cedar Grove store was reportedly closer to the shooter than Meadows. Patton was probably shot from a distance of 30 to 35 yards away, Morris said.

Investigators hope further ballistics tests will confirm or disprove that the bullets were fired from the same weapon. Despite the similarities found in the initial tests, it is possible different weapons were used in the three murders.

Carrier, of South Charleston, died after being shot in the head while standing outside a Go-Mart on Charleston’s West Side late Sunday. City detectives said the bullet that killed Carrier was also fired from a small-caliber weapon.

Charleston police Chief Jerry Pauley — who attended a sheriff’s media conference Friday, along with representatives from the State Police, South Charleston police, the FBI and the ATF — said the Sunday shooting might be related to the Thursday night slayings. “It could’ve been [by the same person],” Pauley said. “That fragment of a bullet was taken to the State Police lab to be checked.” [Fred Zain is gone, isn't he?]

The combined police agencies formed a task force to investigate the homicides together and set up a headquarters at Charleston’s Air National Guard base, where they met Friday night, Morris said.

The full-sized black pickup might be the agencies’ best evidence, so far, Morris said. It was seen outside the Cedar Grove store, and a person told police they also saw it near the Campbells Creek shooting. “The truck had been [parked outside the Go-Mart] about 20 minutes, and moved from one end of the lot to the other, where it drew attention,” Morris said. “Something just didn’t seem to right about that pickup.”

A witness told police he was certain the shots fired at Meadows came from the truck. “As soon as that shot was made, [Meadows] dropped to the ground and the vehicle sped away, spinning its tires,” Morris said.

While witnesses at Campbells Creek had told police about seeing a Corsica speeding away, investigators later discovered the black pickup also had been seen there. “That truck was spotted in the Campbells Creek area, fitting that description,” Morris said.

That also was the only sighting, if ever so slight, of the person authorities are looking for, the chief deputy said. “The information we do have is, it’s a larger, white male,” Morris said.

The suspect would not need to be an “exceptional shot” to hit the mark from about 70 yards away with a rifle, police said. However, Morris said: “That was a difficult shot, no question about it.”

Both of Thursday night’s victims lived in Campbells Creek, but investigators do not believe they knew one another. However, because the two “lived basically in the same area” and “it’s very, very early in the investigation,” they have not ruled that out, Morris said.

Meanwhile, investigators have nearly ruled out any relationship with the March slaying of 29-year-old Randy Burgess outside the Kanawha City Kroger store. Burgess was shot with a high-powered rifle while leaving the store. No arrests have been made in Burgess’ shooting. Tucker conceded, however, that a sniper suspect could have more than one weapon. “Everything’s possible when you’re dealing with an individual like this,” the sheriff said.

He said safety should be the main thing on the minds of area residents. State Police, sheriff’s deputies and municipal police will be increasing their presence near late-night convenience stores, especially those with gasoline pumps. “We’ve increased the patrols like you wouldn’t believe,” Tucker said.

Morris and Tucker warned people to be cautious and to travel with at least one other person if they have to be out late at night. As a precaution, they advised motorists not to fill up late at night if they can avoid it. “I would continue what I have been doing,” Morris said.

Police throughout Kanawha County have fielded calls about other shootings possibly related to Sunday and Thursday’s shootings, but none of those has proven true, Metro 911 officials said.

[genefromjersey]

Rock,In some parts of the country, rifle bullets are still called "balls".It was true in rural NY 60 years ago, and it doesn't surprise me to see someone in a similar rural area of West Virginia use the term.

[INSENSITIVE GUY]

I see the anti-gun movement is at it again!Somewhere and deeply hidden,the anti-gun types are behind this.

[Hillary's Lovely Legs]

Somewhere and deeply hidden,the anti-gun types are behind this.

I doubt it.

[Travis McGee]

Hard to say. Probably something lighter, like a .223 again. It's the faster bullets that reliably self destruct on impact, leaving not enough intact for ballistics. Sure, could be .243 etc, but .223 is just much more common.

[Travis McGee]

Al just my guessing now...

If it was something big like a 7mm, the police would be talking about the devestating awesome wounds, people almost blown in two etc. If a solid enough bullet was used to not open up and fragment in the victim, they might have recovered at least a base intact enough for ballistics to determine the precise caliber.

I'm still guessing something at the light high velocity end, .243 or down. And of them, .223 based on how prolific they are.

And for the tin foil hat in me, a .223 in an "assault rifle."

[Travis McGee]

Thirty yards and seventy yards: that's close. Even a Mini-14 could get those hits. If it's a semi auto and no brass was recovered, that would tend to indicate it was fired from inside of the vehicle. Just guessing, like everyone else...

At those ranges, they should have something on the stores' security videos.

[Bella]

My same thoughts!

[PatrioticAmerican]

"Calling Chief Moose"

when we need someone to make racists statements against whites and a need to protect black suspects, we'll call Moose, the Black Nationalist.

[SSN558]

If it was something big like a 7mm, the police would be talking about the devestating awesome wounds, people almost blown in two etc.

It depends. I participated in some unscientific tests of 7mm Remington Magnum hollow points on large pumpkins a number of years ago. The darn bullets went right through and didn't expand or leave a large exit wound. Ended up using a 12 gage to put fruits out of their misery.

Don't try this stupid human trick at home, it is only for trained professionals. BTW the family pig kept getting the way dodging bullets and buck shot to get at the feast.

[stlnative]

Charleston Daily Mail

---

Suspect still unidentified

Officials swamped with tips
following shooting deaths

George Gannon <georgegannon@dailymail.com>
Daily Mail staff



Saturday August 16, 2003; 09:40 AM

Local law enforcement officials said today they are blanketing the area with officers where a suspected serial-type killer fatally shot two victims at Eastern Kanawha County convenience stores.

Metro 911 has been swamped with 200 calls and tips from concerned residents since Thursday evening's fatal shootings at the Speedway in Campbells Creek and the Go-Mart in Cedar Grove.

No new shootings had been reported as of late this morning, and no arrest had been made.

Police were looking for a black extended cab pickup truck with gold trim driven by a large white male that was spotted near the scene of the shootings, said Phil Morris, chief deputy for the Kanawha County Sheriff's Department.

Bullets taken from the crime scenes were analyzed by the State Police's crime lab and it appears they have similar ballistic characteristics, Morris said.

The bullets taken from the shooting at the Speedway in Campbells Creek and bullets taken from the shooting that occurred earlier this week outside a Charleston Go-Mart were "very similar," he said.

"It looks like they came from the same weapon," Morris said today.

Tests on a bullet collected at the scene of a shooting at Go-Mart in Cedar Grove were less conclusive because the bullet was damaged when fired.

Morris said if it is confirmed that all three bullets were fired from the same weapon -- which police believe may have been a small-caliber rifle -- they will "have a very serious situation."

If the same weapon was used in each shooting, Morris said, they would have to treat the suspect as a serial-type killer. If that is the case, he said, authorities will call in a specialist from the federal government.

Tests on the bullets will continue today.

Local FBI agents have entered the investigation, but more agents could be in the area if it's officially determined the same shooter is responsible for all three slayings.

The killings started late Sunday. Gary Carrier Jr., 34, of South Charleston was shot outside a West Side Go-Mart in Charleston. About 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Jeanie Patton, 31, of Campbells Creek was shot to death. About 90 minutes later, 26-year-old Okey Meadows of Campbells Creek was shot in the neck and killed.

Morris said the sheriff's department, the Charleston Police Department, the State Police and the FBI have set up a unified command at the Air National Guard building in Charleston.

"That's going to be a big resource," he said.

Patrols were stepped up across the area where the shootings occurred. In addition to the normal patrols, Morris said five more sheriff's cruisers were out in the Malden, Rand, Campbells Creek and Cedar Grove areas.

The extra patrols were an effort by law enforcement officials to show the area was safe, but he cautioned that people should buy gas during daylight hours and should not go out alone.

The sheriff's department also added manpower at its headquarters, bringing in an extra five people to answer phone calls concerning the shootings.

"That's a lot of people for us to bring in on a Saturday," Morris said.

And, according to estimates from sheriff's department dispatchers, it appeared the extra hands will be necessary.

By one estimate, dispatchers were receiving 10 to 15 calls every time a news broadcast aired information about the shooting.

"The phone will ring for 10 minutes straight," a dispatcher said.

Authorities said tips can be called in to the sheriff's department at 357-0169 and 357-0729.

Police have held back some information, but they have provided some details about the shootings.

Following a Friday afternoon press conference, Sheriff Dave Tucker said the shooter was likely sitting in a black, extended cab pickup truck across the street from the Speedway on Campbells Creek Drive about 10:30 p.m. Thursday when the gunman fatally shot Patton in the head.

The truck was about 30 yards away and facing west on Campbells Creek Drive, toward its intersection with U.S 60, when the fatal shot or shots were fired, Tucker said.

He said it is likely the shooter was inside the truck because the suspect left the scene so quickly.

The same scenario also seems to be the case in Thursday night's second shooting, which police said occurred about 11:30 p.m. at a Go-Mart along U.S. 60 in Cedar Grove.

Lt. Jess Bailes, spokesman for the department, said the shooter was parked at the western end of the store's parking lot when the suspect shot and killed Meadows as he paid for milk while standing at an outside pay window. At night, customers must pay for gas and other items through a sliding drawer in the wall.

Witnesses told police that a black pickup truck with tinted windows and an extended cab was parked partially on the lot at the Cedar Grove store. It moved suspiciously from end to end of the parking lot for about 20 minutes before the shooting.

The truck was last seen leaving the parking lot headed toward Charleston.

"Something just didn't seem right about that pickup," Morris said. "Right after the shooting it sped out from the parking lot, spinning its tires."

A black pickup also was seen in the Campbells Creek area, Morris said.

Morris said police believe a rifle was used in each shooting because the shot that killed Meadows was fired from 60 to 70 yards away.

"That was a difficult shot, no question about it," Morris said about Meadows' slaying. "It's unlikely a handgun would be used. We do feel it was a smaller type caliber."

Carrier was shot in the head and killed Sunday night while using a pay telephone outside a Go-Mart on Charleston's West Side.

Tucker declined to comment on any possible links to a March killing in which a Charleston man was gunned down outside a Kanawha City Kroger.

Randall Burgess, 23, was shot twice in the chest and killed outside the supermarket on March 20.

While the sheriff declined to talk about any connection with that case, he said police believe the three most recent killings could be related.

"We are now investigating into what could be a possible serial-type murder," Tucker said.

Morris said he was concerned that the shootings resembled last year's sniper shootings in the Washington, D.C., area.

Residents were advised Friday not to travel alone to convenience stores and to keep their eyes open, Morris said.

The sheriff said, however, that he did not want people "living in fear."

Tucker said it appears that none of the victims knew each other.

"We don't know what we're dealing with," Tucker said.

Tucker said all police agencies in the county have increased patrols. Friday night saw an abundance of cruisers on the streets of Charleston and across the county.

Authorities were scrutinizing video from surveillance cameras at both stores.

Charleston Police Chief Jerry Pauley said a double homicide early Thursday on the city's West Side was unrelated.

Duane Harris and Danielle Thrift were found shot to death in the front seat of a car parked along the 300 block of Hunt Avenue.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.