Maryland Sniper Shootings Update Thread

CNN, Fox, Local Radio and Television | October 8, 2002 | CNN, Fox, Breaking News

[Peach]

It's 6:30 a.m. EST and we're waiting to go to the second press conference providing media and local updates on the Maryland sniper shootings. To date, the 13 year old boy has survived the evening and seems to be improving. Fox News mentioned that his aunt is a nurse. The police briefing at 6:15 a.m. mentioned Todd Beamer's Let's Roll comment and police are urging people to use caution, good judgment, but remain strong and try to continue with everyday life as much as possible.

Police had a search warrant last night (didn't say for who or where) related to the sniper shootings, but the search did not provide any information to LEO.

[Dog]

Joe did you just see the Maryland governor taunting the killer???

[Peach]

They really need to quit with the cowardly already. And the "not admired" statement takes the cake. Are they profiling his personality and thinking they can goad him into giving himself up? If that's their game, we're in trouble.

[walkingdead]

Yea, I hear ya. Many people believe this way. I still think that if this thought was prevailant, it may lead to the censorship of video games, which leads to the censorship of other things. It's a domino effect, and I for one do not want to be the one to push on the first domino.

[r9etb]

Are there any "box" trucks mfd that have access to the truck bed from the driver's seat (i.e., without getting out of the truck)?

No need. As somebody already mentioned, you can shoot right out the driver's side window, using the mirror as a rest. Put the rifle on the floor, and move along sedately. Chances are that nobody would even notice you.

[blackdog]

I just heard Glendenning call for "This Coward" to turn himself in! I am not sure just how responsible that is. Calling a sniper at large a "coward" is pretty stupid, wreckless, and juevenile. But then again, being a politician does not require brains. This shows how scripted normal day-to-day is in our world. Something like this terrifies our servants when the camera is humming.

[ET(end tyranny)]

Thanks... The Sept 14th shooting was in front of a liquor store. An employee was standing around outside (probably grabbing a smoke) and was shot. That happened in PG county.

Wonder if they have compared it? If not, perhaps they should.

[Skel]

They are trying to guilt him into submission. That is showing sensitivity.

Btw, does Williams take fashion advice from Louis Farrakhan?

[Peach]

Thanks for the info and help, Kim. I just bookmarked my first item a few weeks ago (during the NJSC mess). Not good at HTML or I'd offer to keep the history for us. Have been able to post a link but not an article in full.

[Trident/Delta]

I totally agree. For those with hearts black enough, killing is a fairly simple matter; doped out gang bangers do it all the time. Getting away with it is the part that takes a high degree of calculation.

I agree. The killing part could be attributed to a lone wingnut, but the escape and evasion (E&E for the uninitiated) seems to be carefully laid out. Thee seem to be calculated and executed. I am not althogether conviced that it is a T/C Contender, but the possibility exists. I am inclined to believe that this is not a domestic wingnut. This is beginning to demonstrate a knowledge of tactics and planning. To me that indicates that this is on cold bastard. And, there has been a couple of posts that postulate that he is getting careless etc. Hmmm.. it seems to me that the last two (where they lived) were from a GREATER distance than the previous. So, if we postulate that thee are two individuals, with only one weapon, and that the last 2 are from a second shooter, perhaps one that is jealous of the "legend" status that his compadre will have already achieved by his successful elimination of kafir and, is not quite as disciplined as the first and neglects to recover his brass from his shooting point. It is one of those things that makes you go Hmmmm....

On another front, They are only now finding the shooting points. THAT tells me that the shooter(s) did some preliminary homework. IF they are shooting from prone, then the shooting point and the location of the escape vehicle has been carefully planned.

I am extremely curious if there has been any reports of a sound signature (gunshots) heard by anyone.

I shouldn't say this, but very effective suppressor is a 2-liter Coke bottle with an "X" cut in the bottom taped to the muzzle of an AR-15. (old training has a tendancy to surface in these trying times) wouldn't attract a lot of atention if it were discarded in a trash barrel a ways away from the scene. Be assured that if this is an AQ affair, then they ahve been WELL TRAINED in field expedient methods.

Semper Fi

[snooker]

It's not as hard as you state. Hitting at 200 yards with open sites is doable for most practiced shooters. I didn't say they were gun shop bubbas doing the shooting. I also don't think they bought a traceable gun at the local gunshop.

Consider this ...
Most urban settings are less than 100 yards of open terrain. Go to the local shopping mall and check. You will see getting a clear shot at 320 yards is not likely at all. Did the cops manage to read the bullet fragments for the yardage scale? Give me a break.

It is no big deal to shoot like the sniper is doing. Trained and saw being trained enough people to know it's not. We trained on 600 yard ranges with open sights and scopes. With a scope it is much easier. Go to a silhouette target range and check it out. One of my fun activities when younger. Set up a shooting bench in the back of a van, easy to do. Add a silencer no noise.

As an aside ...
I might suggest that a hunter with a rifle stalking a deer --- if they can't hit to kill at 200-300 yards might want to stay home. The deer deserve better.

Ever consider what terrorist training camps are for? boy scout outings?

All I am saying is why avoid the obvious. There is a war going on, or am I missing something here. And they are Arab/Islam terrorist doing the terror deeds are they not? And they do intend to terrorize, don't they?

As I stated in a prior note __THESE ARE PROs__ and are well trained. Most sniper teams are pairs, one spotter one shooter. Maybe even three, one for covering the backdoor. To think that the driver is not the spotter for the shooter in the back of the van/truck misses the whole point.

Park, take the shot, drive away. If discovered get free virgins early.

There were five hijackers for each plane, a pilot and four for muscle.

So a trained sniper team is unlikely? Hello, are you not paying attention to what is going on in the world?

I hope the cops get them soon, but don't hold your breath. Unless some citizens stumbles upon the setup and reconizes what is going on, I think it is unlikely they will get caught. They might be on a plane back to the training camps right now.

My intent is simple, help people recognize what might be going on, look for the likely scenario, that's all.

But other motives are welcome. They just don't fit today's reality. Suggest the pursuit of the likely scenario first, and be surprised if it isn't.

snooker

[Dog]

As sure as I am that the sun will rise tomorrow....

I bet he answers them......they just challenged him.

[walkingdead]

Should we be taunting the killer? Maybe we should. When challenging anyone (ie boxing, football, ect) the best thing you can do is to make your opponent mad. When your mad, your not thinking clearly, which may help him make a mistake. A mistake that will cost him his life......

[relee]

Glendenning is trying to get the killer to come after him so his security people will catch the killer.

[Joe Hadenuf]

No, missed it, what did he say?

[L,TOWM]

For those, though, it usually requires some form of provocation, and is done in an extreme emotional state.

Not a planned sequence of events, and a lack of preference for the type of victim, but with methods and egress calculated like a military field problem.

[spodefly]

I also could go either way but anyone who labels us 'hysterical' and 'illogical' for considering that these shootings are tied to the Islamists is living in a pre-9/11 fog.

I don't think it is illogical to consider that this might be 'islamic' terrorists. (It is clearly terrorism, whether or not it is islamic or not.)

My theory is that it is tied to 'islamic' terrorists. This is partly because of the location (DC area) as this has maximum effect on people in DC. They can't take that leisurly stroll from one building to another in DC without thinking about this stuff now, and looking around for any white vans or suspicious persons (whatever that may mean.)

Further, it is consistent with the Al Queda training tapes that were found recently wherein these exact sorts of scenarios were laid out and trained for. Whoever is doing this has some degree of marksmanship skills, and a heart of stone. There would have to have been some planning involved in choosing escape routes, or else this person (persons) are just extremely lucky there have been so few clues/witnesses.

Lastly, I know that a component of my thinking that it is 'islamic' terrorism is related to my hoping that it is not a 'white male gun owner' as some of the profiles have indicated ... because I am a white male gun owner, and I hate being painted with that brush, even tangentially. But wishful thinking on my part does not make it any more likely that it is 'islamic' terrorism.

It could be anyone -- lone nut, extreme lefty/righty, sociopathic spree killer, islamist terrorist. I just hope that whoever it is slips up or runs out of luck quickly, and we find out for sure who and why. And if it is in fact islamic in nature, then we all need to know this to better prepare ourselves when and if this eventually hits our own communities.

[iconoclast]

IT'S FACE TIME IN THE MID-ATLANTIC STATES!

Rat now!

[Atlas Sneezed]

"The reason that ballistic comparison works is that most criminals don't shoot their guns often and the marks don't change much."

More to the point, ballistic comparison works when a gun is recovered shortly after a shooting (possibly at the scene.) When the first shot fired after the murder shot is by a ballistic technician in a lab, the match will be good. When the test shot is shot by the manufacturer before sale, and the murder occurs thousands of rounds later, forget about it.

And don't forget that firing pins and ejectors can be slightly re-shaped with a little sandpaper.

[Peach]

What's another clue? I missed something here. Too busy shaking my head in disgust at comments re cowardly and person has to know they aren't admired.

[freeperfromnj]

just as the repeated "our schools are safe" mantra got a kid shot.

I was initially on the fence as to whether or not this was terrorism. It is the school shooting that happened in the wake of the threat to American Schools that has completely tilted the scale for me. These threats often fade in and out of the press, just as the audio released the other day, and are often dismissed as irrelevant. I think a lot can be read between the lines on that audio. Just because OBL may or may not be dead, that is no reason to dismiss what was on that tape. It did single out DC and NY. The first shootings began after the sentencing in the VA courts of Reid and Walker. I wouldn't be surprised if a NY suburb were to be next. Today is the bail hearing for the buffalo crowd.