Report: Sniper Left Tarot Card, Message for Police at Last Shooting

WUSA-TV | Tuesday, October 8, 2002 | Kristinn

[kristinn]

WUSA-TV 9 News in Washington, D.C. reported in its 11 p.m. broadcast that police found a tarot card and a note to police at the scene of yesterday's sniper shooting of a 13 year old boy at Tasker Middle School in Bowie, Md.

The tarot card was the 'Death' card. The message said, 'Dear policemen, I am God."

[piasa]

From one web site:

Michael, in the Judeo-Christian-Islamic faiths, is the foremost of the archangels and the angels. He is a great warrior and leads God's armies against Satan. His name means "who is as God" or "who is like to God". He both fought against and chained Satan during the War. Michael, too, is the Angel of Death since he will weigh the souls on judgment day. God put Michael in charge of nature, rain, snow, thunder, lightning, wind, and clouds. {In Islam, Michael - Mikal means rain.} Michael is a great protector, an impassioned defender against adversity, and a champion of peace. He, also is an angel of repentance, mercy, righteousness, and brings the gift of patience. In Islam, Michael's wings are emerald green with saffron hairs that contain a million faces and mouths, which speak in a million dialects.

Michael is considered the patron saint of grocers, sailors and mariners, paratroopers, and policemen and policewomen. Too, he is the Archangel of protection, peace, courage, mercy, patience, careers, achievements, mental powers, and motivation. Michael also rules abundance, money, and growth.

Michael rules the Sun, east, the season of summer, the element of earth, and Sundays and Thursdays

(What days did those shootings occur on again?)

[Route66]

Thanks very much - When I scanned the article earlier,I thought that part of the article was just a rehash of what we already knew. Turns out they hid some new information at the bottom. Here's what it says:

Overnight, Prince George's County Police were busy in their search for the shooter of a teenage boy and seven others. 9 News was on the scene in Bowie overnight as detectives served a search warrant at an apartment not far from Monday's shooting.

Police seized seven weapons, including rifles and hand guns, but at this point, law enforcement sources tell 9 News they have nothing to conclusively link the man to the shootings.

Detectives and evidence technicians moved in with the search warrant at 12:30 Tuesday morning. For two hours they went through the man's ground floor apartment. The apartment is in Bowie, less than two miles
from Monday's shooting scene at Benjamin Tasker Middle school.

Law enforcement sources say police became aware of the man from a tip shortly after the shooting. There was enough information that detectives became very interested, very quickly. According to the sources, the man was brought in for questioning Sunday. Later police applied for, and received, the search warrant. As police worked through the early morning hours, it appeared his neighbors were mostly unaware of the search. Besides the weapons, police also removed a computer.

[stlnative]

Started on 10/2 (Wednesday) in the early evening, continued into Thursday and so on.

[the-gooroo]

Thanks for posting this info. This article is very confusing to read and I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this. If this is true why isn't this big news?! The search took place 24 hours ago. Why wasn't the press jumping all over this? Very strange.

[Boomer Geezer]

... and the national media does not have it yet ...

I don't know when the information was "released" but here in Phoenix, the news about the msg and the tarot card was on the radio news (KFYI 550AM) about 20-some minutes ago, at 11 PM our time.

[Route66]

I have not been able to find any other source that has this information, but based on the info on the WUSA site - and assuming it's credible - I guess they really could have the guy. At least they seem VERY interested in him. We'll have to wait till tomorrow to find out more.

[piasa]

Thanks, I haven't been keeping up on this topic.

[El Gato]

Sorry, but this doesn't fit the profile of this killer. I think some people have been duped by a hoaxer. ,

Or by the shooter itself. Several things "different" about the shooting of the kid, even though they 'matched' the bullets. The "matted area" indicating shooting from outside a vehicle and not behind much concealment either. The shell casing left behind, whereas in the earlier shootings, no brass was found. And now a Tarot card?

[Freedom2specul8]

President's bodyguards join hunt for sniper

[Route66]

Thanks for letting me know that. It at least confirms the story. You have to wonder if it's credible if it's not reported elewhere.

[stlnative]

THE TIMELINE:

-- 5:20 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2: Windows shot at Maryland craft store. No one hurt.

-- 6:04 p.m. Wednesday: James D. Martin, 55, of Silver Spring, Md., killed in Maryland grocery store parking lot.

-- 7:41 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 3: James L. "Sonny" Buchanan, 39, of Arlington, Va., killed while cutting grass at Maryland auto dealership.

-- 8:12 a.m. Thursday: Taxi driver Prem Kumar Walekar, 54, of Olney, Md., killed at Maryland gas station.

-- 8:37 a.m. Thursday: Sarah Ramos, 34, of Silver Spring, Md., killed outside Maryland post office.

-- 9:58 a.m. Thursday: Lori Ann Lewis-Rivera, 25, of Silver Spring, Md., killed as she vacuumed her van at Maryland gas station.

-- 9:15 p.m. Thursday: Pascal Charlot, 72, of Washington, D.C, killed while standing on a street in the nation's capital.

-- 2:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4: 43-year-old woman wounded in craft store parking lot in Fredericksburg, Va.

-- 8:09 a.m. Monday, Oct. 7: 13-year-old boy wounded as he is dropped off at Bowie, Md., school.

[El Gato]

Says different guy(s) altogether.

Except for the reported bullet match.

[seeker41]

Why did the last 2 victims live, ask yourselves that question. He was six for six, so what changes? Is he/she/it suddenly a worse shot-I think not.

[Freedom2specul8]

thanks for the time line Brigette! Can I copy and paste it with the links to other sniper related threads when I post them?

[Route66]

The press wasn't jumping on it because the police weren't telling anyone. As a matter of fact, they made a point of saying they had no new information during their briefings.

I gather the local television station was following them when they found out about the search warrant. They were probably asked not to break it - and have now either been givin permission to air it or they decided to do it anyway.

[Freedom2specul8]

We could make it look like this:
THE TIMELINE:

-- 5:20 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2: Windows shot at Maryland craft store. No one hurt.

-- 6:04 p.m. Wednesday: James D. Martin, 55, of Silver Spring, Md., killed in Maryland grocery store parking lot.

-- 7:41 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 3: James L. "Sonny" Buchanan, 39, of Arlington, Va., killed while cutting grass at Maryland auto dealership.

-- 8:12 a.m. Thursday: Taxi driver Prem Kumar Walekar, 54, of Olney, Md., killed at Maryland gas station.

-- 8:37 a.m. Thursday: Sarah Ramos, 34, of Silver Spring, Md., killed outside Maryland post office.

-- 9:58 a.m. Thursday: Lori Ann Lewis-Rivera, 25, of Silver Spring, Md., killed as she vacuumed her van at Maryland gas station.

-- 9:15 p.m. Thursday: Pascal Charlot, 72, of Washington, D.C, killed while standing on a street in the nation's capital.

-- 2:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4: 43-year-old woman wounded in craft store parking lot in Fredericksburg, Va.

-- 8:09 a.m. Monday, Oct. 7: 13-year-old boy wounded as he is dropped off at Bowie, Md., school.

152 posted on 10/9/02 1:25 AM Central by brigette

[El Gato]

But what about the matching shell casing?

AFAIK, there is no "matching" shell casing. Just the one, from the last shooting, same as the tarot card.

[TERMINATTOR]

Many years ago when I lived in Rockville (Montgomery county) we called them "Ben", a shortend form of the "Guardez Bien" emblem on the side of their police cars.

[the-gooroo]

The article doesn't say whether this guy was released after being questioned on Sunday. It seems that he was because after the shooting of the boy they got the search warrant that night. This could also explain the note. "Dear policeman" He's probably not too happy with the way he was treated at the poice station.