Evidence Links Monday's Shooting to Spree

Foxnews.com ^ | 10/7/2002 | Foxnews.com, AP

[caa26]

BOWIE, Md. — Police say ballistic evidence they have recovered from a 13-year-old boy shot in front of his school in Bowie, Md., Monday links the shooting to several in the Washington area.

Evidence recovered from the teen has been linked to the other shootings in the Washington area, Prince George's County Police Chief Gerald Wilson said today.

The boy, who sustained a single gunshot wound to the chest, was in critical but stable condition following almost three hours of surgery at Children's Hospital in Washington, D.C., and doctors said they were "satisfied" with how he got through the operation.

The victims in last week's shootings -- six people killed and one wounded -- also were felled by a single shot.

Dr. Martin Eichelberger said the boy had a gunshot wound to the abdomen, which went through his chest, then into his spleen, stomach, pancreas and lung.

He said the boy's spleen was removed along with part of his stomach and pancreas, but he says those are organs a person can "live without."

Eichelberger said the major concerns now for doctors are whether the boy continues to bleed, and whether he has problems breathing. He said the next eight hours are crucial to determine the boy's recovery.

The doctor said the surgery team made a special effort to find a portion of the bullet, which they gave to police.

FNC Monday's shooting happened well before classes were scheduled to begin, so there were not a lot of witnesses, Wilson said. A gunshot was heard, and the boy slumped over and told his aunt, who had brought him to school, that he thought he had been shot, Wilson said.

His aunt took him to a small hospital in this suburb northeast of Washington, and then he was transferred by helicopter to Children's Hospital.

Police cars surrounded the school and officers put up crime scene tape and searched the campus.

Sharon Healy had just sent her 12-year-old son, Brandon, to school on his bicycle when she heard of the shooting shortly after 8 a.m. outside Benjamin Tasker Middle School. She said she ran there and pulled him out of class.

"You think you're safe, but you're only as safe as your next step," Healy said.

Said her son: "I was scared."

Othar Haskins, 13, standing outside the school with his mother, said he was a friend of the wounded boy.

"He's funny, he's always around friends," Othar said. "He helps you out when you need it. He's a good friend." Othar cried and put his head on his mother's shoulder as he spoke.

AP Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose Last Wednesday and Thursday, five people were shot to death by a sniper in a 16-hour span in Montgomery County. A sixth victim was killed Thursday in Washington, D.C. On Friday, a woman was shot and wounded in Virginia.

"All of our victims have been innocent and defenseless, but now we're stepping over the line," Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose said. "Shooting a kid -- it's getting to be really, really personal now." At one point, tears streamed down his face.

In an afternoon briefing, Moose said police were investigating yet another shooting in Washington.

But Washington police spokesman Kenny Bryson said the shooting occurred in an apparent robbery and there's "no link whatsoever" to the sniper attacks.

White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said federal authorities -- the attorney general, Treasury Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms -- have been "very involved on the ground and have lent support and equipment."

Asked if there was any evidence of terrorism, 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 schools had planned a normal schedule with extra security, but after the Prince George's shooting, officials initiated a "code blue" alert, keeping students inside during recess and lunchtime, Moose said. Prince George's schools and some other schools in the region took similar steps.

The five Montgomery County victims were all gunned down in public places: two at gas stations, one outside a grocery, another outside a post office, another as he mowed the grass at an auto dealership, and the sixth, a 72-year-old man, killed on a Washington street corner. Each victim was shot once from a distance. There were no known witnesses.

Tests confirmed that the same weapon was used to kill four victims.

Ballistics evidence also linked the Maryland slayings with the wounding of a 43-year-old woman on Friday. She was shot in the back in a parking lot at a Michaels craft store in Fredericksburg, Va., and was in fair condition Monday at INOVA Fairfax Hospital.

[kinghorse]

This is but another attack designed to show Americans their Government is helpless to protect them. I think it's time to get worried. Do you people ever stop to think how many lives have been affected by USA intervention in foreign wars. From Serbia to Somalia we have been the world's cop. Al Qaeda and Hussein have so many to choose from for this assignment. And the fear, the economic loss is enough to make a country Surrender. This country could not hold up very long under the strain of seeing several Sarajevo quality Bosnian or Serbian snipers working different cities. It would be unholy hell for the city inhabitants. Talk about economic dislocation. Starbucks=Gone, and so many more. Retail economic activity goes to -0-. I am for the first time thinking seriously of bailing now on the markets. This could be it, Armageddon for the USA. This is bad. We aren't squaring ourselves at all to the existences some people have lived outside this country and their life experiences. To lose family members one by one in a war such as the siege of Sarajevo or Gronzny Chechnya or 91 Iraq, these murderers have to be cold hearted to the bone.

You wanted to know how Hussein would fight to survive. Your looking at it. And the sad part is, this is not going to be hard to do from their perspective and we will suffer mightily. It's like our leaders are the head after the toe just got smacked. It hasn't reached the brain yet but the pain is there. Weapons of mass destruction my butt. Gimme a couple of well schooled sniper teams. I'm scared and that's the point. Too easy. If this doesn't enter the debate I will just be shocked to hell. This is a very shrewd and decisive move by Hussein or Al Qaeda. Definitely the first "Check" of the match. I guess Europe always understood the risk and this is why they have sucked up to the ME. I'm afraid America will play this match to the end, however unpleasant. The next step will probably be mass deportations. To which many more haters of America will be born. To think we have let in thousands of Somalis, Iraqis, Serbs, Bosnians and others from war torn regions to be settled among us. These folks are good folks, but if only 1% were bad, that's enough to cause a huge problem. It's a problem with no solution. I suspect this problem will be too large for the government to get a handle on, so they will rush to war so as to kill the backers as quickly as possible. Snipers and Oil Tanker attacks. Both designed to bring down the economy. You wanted war. THIS IS WAR BABY.

[kinghorse]

And it sucks. And we better win. I wish I was wrong about all this but I think that's being naive.

[Sacajaweau]

The Contender seems to be the No. 1 choice. With an 18 inch overall length, it would fit into a backpack.

Sac

[Sacajaweau]

Yes, there have been some between 9 & 5. I'm thinking more of an irregular "normal" schedule like a college student.

Sac

[angkor]

But the shootings themselves have been in areas where there were few witnesses. The guy mowing the lawn... parking lots (a few people maybe but not tons), the boy was dropped off early for school, few people there.

Not so, not at all correct.

The guy was mowing on Rockville Pike, one of the busiest rush-hour roads in Montgomery County.

Aspen Hill (the taxi driver) is at the intersection of Connecticut and Georgia Avenues, both main commuting thoroughfares (and ridiculously crowded at 8:30AM).

Back down to White Flint for Thursday victim #4 and you are still in a dense suburban traffic situation, even at 9:30AM.

Yesterday's shooting was at Rt. 197 and Rt. 50 (two major commuting roads), and just in front of the Bowie tract neighborhood (several thousand homes), again during prime morning rush hour.

My point is that the shooter would have to stay inside the vehicle to do these shootings, and that the vehicle itself would have to be completely inconspicuous. It is simply not plausible that he/they exited the vehicle to do the shooting. Contrary to what you state, there would be dozens of witnesses in the areas described above.

So then you must ask what type of vehicle (a) is completely inconspicuous and (b) allows the shooter to aim and fire with no complications.

My theory: minivan, blacked out windows, sliding door.

[harpseal]

if this is an international terrorist plot, why focus on only a relatively small area?

It would conserve terrorist resources until the next large scale terrorist operation could be mounted. In the interim US law enforcement resouces are being devoted to at most one or two operatives who remain at large. By operating in the DC area they know they will get nationwide coverage. Further most foreign nationals really have no viscereal comprehension of how large the USA really is.

Stay well - Stay safe - Stay armed - Yorktown

[Loyolas Mattman]

A couple reasons.

One. This particular cell was trained specifically to carry out this type of attack in this area at this time. Just because Al Qaeda carried out coordinated attacks on 9-11, doesn't mean that that will be their m.o. from here on.

Two. This cell was to be part of a bigger attack, lost contact with its "spymaster", and is carrying out its orders as a result of a "dead man's contingency."

Three. This is a training run for something bigger and more damaging.

Four. These are islamists sympathetic to Al Qaeda, et al., but not directly affiliated.

[bonesmccoy]

CORRECTION- This AM a DC Children's Hospital physician was shown on the Today Show and on FNC. The reporter asked about entry wound location and the physician stated that the bullet entry was in the front abdomen. He also stated that he resected a portion of the liver. The liver has a lobe which crosses the midline and is on the left side of the midline. So, probably this unfortunate child had the round track from the midline into the back left.

Nevertheless, he appears to be recovering. Ironically, the reporter later stated that the aunt who was dropping him off at school was a recovery room nurse!

[El Gato]

I'm not going to say which agencies

Christians In Action, most likely. Also BATF and FBI, although they've reported on those. No Such Agency too maybe?

[El Gato]

Doesn't the area have traffic cams all over the place like many urban areas are getting. I know they are down to what don't even qualify as "major" intersections in San Antonio. The guy or guys are probably on all sorts of surveillance video already. It's just that they or their vehicle(s) don't look especially unusual, nor have they been caught in the act of shooting, and if they stick to wooded areas, inside vehicles and such, they probably won't be caught on the videos either.

[El Gato]

One of male victims was indian, which is hard to distinguish from muslim or arab at a distance

Depends on what part of India the guy is from. Even then, most Pakistanies (Muslims) and some Indians (Hindus) are pretty much the same people, just of different religions and cultures. Other Indians are much darker skinned and could be easily mistaken for American Blacks, as I believe this particular man was for a time.

[El Gato]

I also think that it is against MD law to use or purchase body armor.

Most body armor won't stand up to .223/5.56mm anyway. Take a pretty heavy trama plate to stop any centerfire rifle round.

However that has go to be one of the dumbest laws ever.

[Yasotay]

I think your 2 cents was right on the mark .... there are many reasons for 2 man teams. While I use to like watching the "trace" of the round go down range, observation and security are the two most important reasons. I agree with you that he is probably using a pistol and has a driver. I believe post 38 is also on to something (I'm in Oregon). The cell(s) are going active and DC is one of the bulls-eyes. I wonder if the SS has started worrying about a real attack ....