Posted on 10/11/2002 3:21:12 PM PDT by texson66
Hello everyone,
As you may already know I have been a SWAT Sniper for about 3 years. My specialty is Counter Sniper for Presidential and dignitary protection. What this basically means is, I am posted at certain locations looking for a sniper/assassin. Once a threat is detected, I am charged in countering his/her ability to attack by early detection and neutralizing (killing) him/her.
Now on to business… This Sniper killing people in the DC Metro area is a skilled sharpshooter and very calculated. Unfortunately he appears very disturbed and has just left a calling card stating he was God. What that probably means is he may escalate the matter by increasing the rate of killing in each attack because he acknowledges the police's hot pursuit. This sniper knows it's a matter of time before he is discovered. He thinks he is superior to everyone, but knows eventually he will be caught. He is playing a very sick game that he feels he is winning. He will probably want to sensationalize his confrontations with the police and eventually stop running and have a standoff. The police may be his future targets.
It is very important that you adjust your regular routine because this is a very deadly individual. I am going to give you my personal/professional advice on the matter.
The Sniper's MO (his methods) are the following. a. 1st wave of attacks were concentrated in an area the suspect was very familiar with. b. It appears these initial attacks were closer, probably less than 100 yards away. Witnesses were hearing loud cracks. c. He definitely is showing off. He is trying to maintain 100 %, one shot for one kill. (Sniper's creed). d. He is probably not shooting the first person that appears. He is looking for the highest probable kill. This encompasses distance, position, and movement of the individual and excludes physical barriers (vehicles, tress, columns, etc). e. He is shooting from areas adjacent to major roadways, thoroughfares, highways, etc. (quick egress). First group was within a couple of miles from beltway. Child shot in Bowie was a block away from the US 50 on the 197. f. He went up to northern Virginia (70 miles away) to throw police off his trail (diversion, used by snipers for stalking targets and eluding enemy). g. He is making this to be a giant 'Stalk' around the Metro area. It is a game now. He wants them to come after him (like he is in his own war against the enemy). h. He is probably using any foliage (tree line, woods, bushes) that is around the malls, shopping center, gas stations, and parking lots. i. He is able to shoot accurately out to 500 yards (5 football fields) with or without a scope (depends on individual's abilities). j. The farther out he/she is, the more difficult of course it is to detect or pinpoint location. This aids in egress as well. (He knows this).
My advice to you all is to consider the following.
1. Avoid unnecessary errands. 2. Bring someone along. 3. Do not stand outside your vehicle grabbing things out the car. 4. If you go to the store, put items in back seat of car (nothing in trunk) so that you can grab items and exit quickly. 5. When slowing down or at a stop, keep windows closed (glass deflects bullets, he knows this and he is not shooting through glass anymore). 6. Never walk straight to a door more than 20 feet away. Zig zag and walk at angels. The shooter is setting up on doorways/entrances and waiting for victims to line up on entrance. The hardest shot for a sniper is a target traversing laterally to his/her position .
· Walk between cars, use them for protection, and NEVER walk in a straight line to a doorway. Park as close as possible.
· Be mindful of wooded areas and any bushes around establishment. More than likely surrounding areas. Look for reflections (glare of the scope or weapon).
· Use drive-thru at fast food · Look around and make it obvious (looking over your shoulder in the distant) he may hesitate if they think someone notices him. Point to what you are looking at as well. You want to telegraph yourself to others and get them involved. · Keep clear of abandoned vehicles, but concern yourself with them. He is probably parking along roads and walking to his shooting position. · You are probably safer inside the DC area only because congestion will prevent him an easy egress for the sniper. So if there is a toss up for a store then pick the inner city (not the outer boundaries).
The main thing is being careful. Everyone is at risk even the police. He is able to pick the time and place so he has the overall advantage over the police. If any of this is confusing give me a call on my cell 202.XXX.XXXX. If you still have difficulty sorting it out, then just stay home (smile). These are just my opinions and hopefully can help in your daily activities. Take care.
There are some great tips on the thread but I believe Mat_Helm has the right idea.
In MY mind I'm gonna treat this b@$tard like I treat tele-marketers and democrats; . .
. . with ridicule, distain and contempt.
A real pro would have a 10/10 kill record along with 10/10 getaways.
I would imagine this makes the sniper a gifted amateur on the presumption that 8/10 and 10/10 is beyond the probability that the casual serial killer with this degree of boldness would get.
One outlier that may be worth examining more closely is the lady who was wounded in the back. Not only did she survive, but according to reports she was released from the hospital. What is different with this case? In particular, can it be ascertained that the sniper was far away when the shot was fired, and the bullet lost energy before it hit, or was it simple bad aim from close up? The former might yield the "500 yard" conjecture; the latter, a distinct temporary lapse in skill on the part of the shooter, UNLESS there is more than one sniper...
You are absolutely, positively, categorically correct.
All citizens, no matter where you live, should exert and exercise their 2nd amendment right.
Maybe something as simple as she moved just as he was pulling the trigger..
Unless it was intentional shoot-to-wound in those two cases. Perhaps to show the shooter(s) has/have Godlike powers to select who lives and who dies.
Jack
At least two dead victims were moving (IIRC, the first two), the guy in the food shopping center parking lot and the guy mowing the lawn at another parking lot.
Here is where I think skill and training could be a discriminant. A sniper is presumeably trained to snipe (or whatever the verb is) well. With a target rich environment that a US suburb is, he or she can afford to find or wait for a stationary target.
A real pro would (I imagine just from light reading) take pride in the bullet to kill ratio, and even the manner of the kill. For example, head shots versus center of mass shots.
Piggybacking here, I have not yet seen any ballistics info released on details such as barrel twist. That might go a long way towards narrowing down the type of .223 weapon involved (and thus aid identification). I am wondering specifically if the police already know but have artificially enlarged the profile in case the sniper has multiple weapons while using only one, or in case a number of people are involved.
Actually, I'm across the Chesapeake Bay from this creep. He probably won't come over here - too many armed citizens.
Actually, I've been pressing my own trousers - and shirts - for the past 50 years. And, I don't have a mother-in-law, or her daughter.
BUT: Carry a camera or camcorder at all times. If someone near you is shot/you hear a shot/crack/whizz take a 360° pan of the surroundings even before you render aid.
If possible do two full pans, you MIGHT capture an image of the sniper. The double images will help highlight anyone bugging out...
However, bear in mind that a prudent alternative from the safety point of view would be to HIT THE DECK FAST and shout at others to do the same.
The first rule of first aid and rescue is not to become a victim oneself in the act of helping others (otherwise more and more people just get dragged into the situation). I am not sure that this emergency situation is sufficiently different from the norm to warrant putting evidence gathering above self preservation.
Also at the distances that the sniper is apparently working from, and the relatively low resolution of the typical camcorder (and digital and point-and-shoot camera), at a minimum the cost-benefit tradeoffs should be considered carefully.
Perhaps, but then if the sniper's desire was to communicate that, I would have expected a more clear and obvious category delineation between the fatal victims and the wounded victims.
Also I don't think it is clear from the start who lives and dies when one is targeting center of mass. For example, a hemophiliac will die from a glancing flesh wound and a robust young healthy person might survive a shot that would kill the average person. I think it's important to retain the perspective that while this sniper may claim to be God, he almost certainly doesn't have Godlike powers. (The silver lining is apparently he has an ego and enjoys bragging enough to risk leaving evidence that might lead police to narrow down the search or even catch him.)
Plus as I mentioned earlier, I would expect the majority of people operating at the skill level demonstrated (ie gifted amateur if not pro) to aspire to the 100% clean, one bullet one kill credo. In this scenario, the sniper is probably dragging his or her tail a bit about the two victims that he/she/they were unable to dispatch cleanly. (Sheesh, even a typical hunter does that.)
Now time for a personal story... (or what might happen to you if you get too ridiculous about this) I was refueling my car last night in such an awkward position that the little girl came out of the bullet-proof office, to tell me that the gas hoses were not designed to stretch. When she got close enough for me to look her in her eyes, she just left saying, whatever!
LOL! I would type more, but I am laughing too hard ... :)
Anti-Bullet Bra w/heavy duty backstraps. ;-)
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