Posted on 10/07/2002 5:42:23 AM PDT by DCBryan1
The switch occurred fairly early on. But the first units did deploy with the M-14, some switched in country, without having had any training in use of the M-16, other than what time could be spared then and there.
WHITE HOUSE WATCHES
White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said federal authorities — the attorney general, Treasury Department and the BATF — have been “very involved on the ground and have lent support and equipment.”
Asked if there was any evidence that this is a terrorist at work, Fleischer replied: “I’ve not heard anything like that, but the fact of the matter is that people are trying to determine who the shooter is, or shooters are, and we continue to help local officials in that endeavor.”
Montgomery County’s schools had expected to resume a regular schedule Monday, but after the shooting, outdoor and after-school activities were canceled.
However the cul-de-sac and limited access nature of the traffic planning means a get-away that starts on foot can put the perp a few minutes and miles ahead of any pursuit.
I guessed that the shooter was running out of area before the weekend, but that guess didn't pan out, and he's still doing brownian motions around DC.
That should be arranged however, ASAP!
We just have different instincts.
Sac
These people were shot while doing their everyday business. Nobody was paying attention to their surroundings--which you shouldn't have to watch out for snipers while walking out to your car anyway. But now we know what's going on. A "neighborhood" watch would be a good idea, I think.
Or in this case, lots of them. In calmer times they would be known as deer hunters, CMP participants or other long range target shooters.
You need lots of them because there aren't enough police to cover every possible, or even all the more likely public targets.
The worst vulnerability of the suburbs (my home got hit in a daylight robbery) is quick access to main roads and freeways.
There *are* places in the suburbs that are not close to main roads. I'll bet these guys are avoiding such places like the plague. If so, it shows experience and foresight in criminal activity: either these guys have done it before, or they have been trained. Since the overall pattern is relatively unusual in the criminal landscape, I would place somewhat more emphasis on the latter.
With quick proximity of the crime scene to a major thoroughfare, the criminal does *not* imho need any expert knowledge of the area, he just needs a fast car, although quick familiarization with weekday traffic patterns and local landmarks would be handy. But that can come with a day's worth of driving around before committing the crime(s).
The guys were possibly holed up in a motel, where anonymous comings and goings at all hours are routine. Campgrounds are relatively deserted at this time of year, and if they stayed overnight in their van, they would stick out smell-wise in the general public (and they don't want to stick out at all). I would imagine the motel they would choose would be about a one hour drive to maximize the chance of avoiding a motel check by the authorities-- chance increases with square of distance so the longer drive, the better the investment from their point of view. The motel would be a budget motel so their (working class casual) dress would not stand out there.
I have learned not to take police profiles at face value. I once worked with a guy who was a dead ringer for the Unabomber profile with certain exceptions such as age. I held off contacting authorities just because I believed I knew him well enough that it would have been a false alarm. Later they caught the real Unabomber and he matched my former colleague, including the discrepancies from the official profile. So much for official profiles as far as I am concerned-- one is almost better off developing it from the raw evidence revealed to the public presuming enough is revealed to come up with something halfway decent.
Not necessarily, the terror cells have likely gone into a "leaderless" mode, after being disrupted by the round ups following 9-11-01. This may be a cell of two, having got the "OK to engage" signal from whoever and wherever.
What people have to realize is the what they "notice" is something out of order.
Make the call and let the authorities decide what is going on.
Sac
OMG!
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