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.

[Catspaw]

Abu Gaith (sp?), that nasty spokesman for bin Laden, is Kuwaiti.

[wcbtinman]

"But they CAN be done from a vehicle."

Years ago, a relative was driving his SUV in an open field after a day of groundhog hunting, Suddenly, he spots a ground hog at a distance later measured by rangefinder to be 287 yards and on a downhill trajectory. He quickly shouldered his 22-250 varmit rifle and shot the ground hog center mass...from the drivers seat with the engine running in a time span that couldn't have been more than 30 seconds.

Had I not been sitting there in the passenger seat, I wouldn't have believed it.

[Shooter 2.5]

" All victims were hit by a single bullet fired from a distance. Police have spoken of a single sniper, but have not ruled out the possibility that more than one person is involved. The high-velocity rounds used in the shootings are common military ammunition and are also a favorite of recreational shooters. They can be used in many types of guns.

The only military round that uses a .224 bullet is a 5.56 X 45. In civilian hands it's called a .223 Remington.

[OReilly]

With the two confirmed .224 bullets that were found, I would like to make sure whether or not, after 2000 posts, a 5.56/.223 Remington was the actual cartridge

5.56 sounds familiar... I am looking it up, but maybe with all the folks reading and posting, some will be able to find it sooner. It is in the Portland arrest thread some 700 rounds and one piece of 223 brass (maybe to drop)

[5by5]

Cute analogy but it really doesn't apply logically. Stopping to take a crap absolutely prevents the dog from catching a rabbit. But if the dog is not looking for rabbits, he will also never catch one. That's just as harmful to the exercise of catching rabbits as stopping to take a crap.

To extend your analogy, you seem to be saying that dogs can't see rabbits or have any hope of catching them. That, IMHO, is load of dog crap.

[antivenom]

There has been talk about "dark skin" perp(s)...IF that were to be...I stumbled across this...it is a "Christian" group that happened to MEET atthe Tasker High School...take a look at this website...get ready for some hair raising...

http://www.hopetoyou.org/

IS there a "tie" to the "The Gates of Heavan" first and 4th shooting site...(complete with a CROSS) and this organization that MET at Tasker...???

A multi-cultural Christian Church ministering to people in the Baltimore Annapolis Washington DC Triangle.

[Shooter 2.5]

I forgot to thank you for the post. That means that they can narrow down the firearm that was used. It also means the speculation of all the calibers was answered.

[antivenom]

AHHHH you didn't like my crappy reply...well CRAP!

[Shooter 2.5]

Read the article in 640. It explains the cartridge case that was found.

[relee]

I think the perp, is a white male, computer nerd and goes to his computer nightly, he is from an affluent family (would have to be to know the Montogermy area well it is one of the wealthiest counties in the USA)...my bet is...his parents have him enrolled in college therefore have NO clue it could be him (and the times of day he is shooting would "fit" with a college schedule).

What if this guy works the night shift and/or weekends. That would fit the schedule too.

[browardchad]

In today's Washington Post: Boy, 13, Shot by Sniper at School

"An investigator said police found a spent shell casing in woods about 140 yards from the school, in a spot with a clear sightline to where the boy crumpled to the ground, bleeding."

I think the 300+ yards is becoming an urban legend.

[iconoclast]

I was off the thread for a while, but, if you will, expand on your fixation on the crosses??

[iconoclast]

I think it is a loner

Me too.

Emphatically.

[cake_crumb]

"My original question thus becomes: why shoot just one .223 round?"

Who the Oregon cell? Hard to tell.

[walkingdead]

287 yards? Was the car moving you were in or stationary? If it was moving, I find that very hard to believe, or very lucky. Maybe he should've bought a lotto ticket that day instead....

[Shooter 2.5]

That make three of us.

The problem is, if it was terrorists, it would help the pro-gun groups. If it's a homegrown, no matter what the weapon used, the anti's are going to be all over this.

[r9etb]

Yeah, the Oregon cell. It is hard to tell -- but given that they'd fired a lot of rounds from other rifles, why just this one? It's just odd, unless they were doing something like seeing if it was still sited in, or something.

[cake_crumb]

"5.56 sounds familiar... I am looking it up, but maybe with all the folks reading and posting, some will be able to find it sooner. It is in the Portland arrest thread some 700 rounds and one piece of 223 brass (maybe to drop)"

I was wondering about that too...found this...

5.56 NATO (.223)
The 5.56 NATO (.233) is the work horse of the American Military, as well as the armies of many other countries, being the cartridge used in the M-16 Rifle, first adopted during the VietnamWar and now used in the weapons of many other countries

Source: www.bobtuley.com

For a little bullet, the 5.56 bullet produces quite dramatic wounds.   While the traditional 30-06 caliber bullet of the M1 Garand and 7.62 bullet of the M14 rifle would immediately knock a man down, the 5.56 bullet instead enters the body, quickly turns sideways after passing through only 4" of flesh, then breaks in two major pieces, as well as many smaller fragments.  During the Vietnam War, soldiers reported that shooting an enemy soldier with the M16 did not kill as quickly as the old 30 caliber weapons. Instead soldiers would follow a massive trail a blood a few feet away from where the enemy soldier had been hit to find him dead from massive blood loss.  This light-weight cartridge permits soldiers to carry more ammo, but is not as effective at long distances as heavier cartridges and does not penetrate steel as well.  The low recoil permits quick follow-up shots and minimal muzzle climb during automatic fire

[Lord Marshal]

287 yards with the engine running??
Did you ever see him do it again??
I've shot alot of prarie dogs. A running engine would make that shot blind luck.

[Shooter 2.5]

I don't believe it's terrorists but let me help you with this one.
The Oregon group goes shooting to get some practice in but they have one .223 firearm that they know they're going to use to assassinate people. The weapon is kept well hidden because they don't want to be connected with it. They only take it out to make sure it's still sighted in. At one point, they miss cleaning up the single round.

What really could have happened was they were too close to someone else shooting their favorite toy and a single case landed into their shooting bags. It happens all the time.