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.

[tomkat]

sorry folks, but this twit on fox clueless.
would it be *too much to ask* that the assigned reporter have just a *bit* of firearms knowledge ?

this guy(s) would be moronic to get out of a mobil sniping nest (van, etc) and risk detection by firing in the open.
one time, they might get away with not being seen, but w/repeated shootings the odds increase exponentially.

it's still 2 @holes in a vehicle from ~250yds ...

$0.02

[Peach]

VERY interesting - I'd missed all that information. That's a long distance to shoot from and still retain any accuracy, which makes this guy all the more frightening. Thanks so much for the post.

[iconoclast]

The firing pin indentation signature leads one then to speculate on the feds starting to "print" each and every firearm before it leaves the factory or dealer. Is that good or bad?

This would certainly be a good instance. What would the downside be?

[tomkat]

oh well, time to make the sawdust.
y'all keep us posted ...

[cynicom]

I saw mostly incompetence and affirmitive action in full sway. At times, it was easier to mute the tv as it was embarrassing.

[Peach]

I hope your theory is a possibility the police have looked into. Having just finished Steven Emerson's excellent book, American Jihad, where he details how his life was threatened for exposing the extremist Muslims in a documentary (well before 9/11), I would imagine Muslims have long memories and like to pay back their enemies in any way they can. Maybe the feds should check in with FR occasionally for ideas.

[wcbtinman]

"And this guy has a clear mind, and probably some formal training, he knows how to slip away."

Then don't you think that he would also be smart enough not to leave tell-tale brass at the scene? Twice?

[ET(end tyranny)]

Whether he's a psycho, or a terrorist, he's good at his craft.

Earlier on FNC some guy said he thought these shootings were a 'hate crime'. First time I had heard anyone call them anything other than serial, thriller or spree.

He also said that they found flattened grass/area near the woods, so they think this time the shooter was out of the vehicle. He thought this meant that the shooter wsas taking more chances. (hard to say since it could of just been that that is where the shooter needed to be in this instance)

He thought that eventually the shoot might want to go out in a blaze of glory.

While listening to him a couple of things came to mind. Could these shootings be a preclude to a larger event? Get LE fixated and located on a certain area, then go for a much bigger target and with perhaps more shooters?

OR

Try to get LE massed in one spot for an ambush against them?

[Peach]

Lottery - and I'll hand out the tickets. Maryland Freepers get first shot and we go from there. I think I see a line forming right now to my left.

[iconoclast]

It seems odd that no one has seen anything.

HELLOOOOO!

The perp is 2 and 1/2 football fields away!

[ET(end tyranny)]

I guess they are still looking for the white Isuzu truck. I suppose they figure unless they have another color to go on, they look for white. ???

[blackdog]

Has anyone discussed the possibility of this being an event of greater good, deliberately engineered, by our keepers? I mean Montgomery County is govt. employee Mecca for those who have "made it". The concentration of police there is unfriggin real. It suffers from the worst traffic jams in the world, it's egress routes for a would be sniper are horrible, everything goes from inner loop to outer loop and bridges. It will get the most coverage in the media. It is UN small arms abolition month. Every hotel, kwik mart, bridge, ATM, and park has video cameras. Something is really odd on this one.

[oceanperch]

I wish I could direct you to the thread on that. I was reading last night. It was allot of posts regarding the education of the Oregon terrorist cell just broken up.
Look up Granpa Dave he has allot of background on the going ons here in Oregon. Luckily I live in a small coastl town here and it is far away from Portland and the other socialist cities in the valley. I am seperated by the Coast range and live out in the sticks. Retired folks and fishermen or whats left of them populate this area. Unfortunately the last two years the meth labs have moved in thinking they are safe out here. NOT!

[twntaipan]

Pulling LE to one place to then plan a larger scale attack? Sounds like what the AQ training film envisioned.

Also sounds like Md. LE need to be careful about not being too quick to publicize their news conferences. That would really provide a lot of publicity.

[wcbtinman]

"The firing pin indentation..."

If this guy is half as smart as he seems to be, then he will have a couple of spare firing pins with him as both backup, and to change out so the indentations won't match. He can also run a stainless brush down the barrel and change the ballistic imprint somewhat. For that matter, if the weapon is an AR-15 or an FN, he can just change the barrel out.

When the cops tell us they found brass related to this shooter, they insult our intelligence. Or this guy is really a phsycopath and doesn't care if he's caught.(but I doubt that)

[blackdog]

If a shooter is as good as this one, a "found shell casing" is not luck. It is deliberate.

[iconoclast]

The assumption is all gun owners are "Potential Criminals of America".

No, hardly. The premise is that guns, in the wrong hands, are potential death dealing devices.

Does every gun owner have every gun locked up beyond any possibility of theft?

[G-Bear]

I agree these people have their MO down pat, they would be
better off to paint the current vehicle, or change to
a different on, than to start getting out in the open
to shoot.

I also wonder if they might not be smart enough to "seed"
a crime scene with spent cases from ANOTHER rifle, so
that even if they get caught with a gun, they are still
not tied to the crime scene.

Doubt the police are getting enough of a bullet recovered
to tie that to a paticular weapon.

[two23]

"What would the downside be?"

1) Firearms get sold or stolen...a stolen weapon could be used in a crime.

2) It's an infringment on our 2nd Amendment gaurantee

3) "printing" a bore or firing pin does not make a criminal pop up out of the world to be arressted.

4) There may be some question about use of firearm changing the "imprint"---metal changes from use and wear.

[OReilly]

Chief Moose is pretty frank about admitting the frustration he is experiencing.

Not to mention the FLUSTRATION OF IT ALL...

It took Moose 15 hours to get around to his first press conference, and he told reporters at that time that he wasn't going to take any questions. So if one doesn't give out any progress information, or clues for the public to help with, and then doesn't take any questions, what is the doofus doing up there?

So now we get to ask question and listen to Moose stumble around trying to say he is incapable, reluctant, and too flustrated to answer.