Beltway Sniper Shootings-FR Commentary-Sunday, Oct. 13

Fox News, CNN, Press Conferences | October 13, 2002 | Fox News, CNN, Press Conferences

[Peach]

To avoid multiple vanity threads regarding any news from press conferences, let's keep a live commentary thread going again today. Please stop by the Prayer Thread to leave a prayer for people in the target area http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/767040/posts

[MCH]

I've been pointing out for a while now that IMHO the killer is using misdirection techniques. There is an very high, almost guaranteed likelihood that he's not driving a white van at all. Given the very high commonality of white vans of one sort or another, it's a simple matter to pick out a "good" place to shoot from in a high traffic area, wait for a white van to wander onto the scene, and then shoot whatever poor unwitting victim happens to be handy once the misdirection situation unfolds. In other words, the killer is choosing a SITUATION that's convenient, not a victim. This is much easier to pull off.

Misdirection is a very common magician's tactic to get you to look one place, when you should be looking somewhere else to see what's REALLY going on. Use of this simple tactic allows the killer get away with his crime while all the witnesses on the scene are looking elsewhere - i.e. where the media & police have told them to look (for a white van). They're playing right into this psycho's hands. He's probably laughing his sicko @ss off about all this white van nonsense, since it gives him easy cover. The white van is a "white herring".

[tomkat]

i may be behind the informational curve, but all i've heard is that there's a (supposed) caliber match.
no details that i've seen relating the ballistics to one weapon ...

[spectre]

"Run a search"

Seems basic enough...I've seen these types of vans come thru our own neighborhood who did delivery for Appliance stores. Sometimes it was Sears, others independently contracted out to other stores.

Doesn't seem like an impossible task, does it?

sw

[Doc Savage]

Watch for copycat snipers to start pooping up in other cities. If this were AQ and their goal was to instill fear into the general populace, they would have simultaneously begun killing in all major cities. Now that's terror!

[tomkat]

make that: one particular weapon ...

[Elenya]

If this were AQ and their goal was to instill fear into the general populace, they would have simultaneously begun killing in all major cities. Now that's terror!

I think so too. And they would've had their chance at dying a spectacular death and getting the famous celestial virgins on Friday when the area was crawling with LEO and trapped motorists. No. So far I don't believe this is ME terrorism. Open to the idea but not convinced yet.

[Merovingian]

waiting for a white van to come by

Definitely NOT...He is way too focused on the target to shoot..Could not possibly concentrate on his perfect target AND the arbitrary appearance of a white van!!

First priority for him is LOCATION...must be straight aim to target...then..Second priority is rapid egress for his vehicle...absolutely imperative for him to be able to aim, shoot, jump in vehicle and take off in his pre-determined safe direction..as i said earlier, i would not be surprised if he even leaves the engine running, that is, IF he is able to park close enough to his shooting spot... Last week Channel 7 interviewed a witness after the 13yo was shot...said he was close to nearby woods, saw a man with a large sack of some kind walking out of woods, calmly got into vehicle and drove off....I only saw this ONCE, they did not even say WHAT vehicle, or WHAT did he look like..perhaps they deliberately left that out...

[aristeides]

Lookout could tell him when a white truck is in sight, and give him the go ahead to shoot.

[browardchad]

Fox reports police has videotape of suspicious activity at one of the shootings; NYP might have at least part of today's article right after all.

Fox (and other news channels) in most instances, merely picks up what the print media reports -- especially if it's the New York Post, "owned by the parent company" of FNC. Seriously, if you listen closely, especially to the early morning shows, they will base most of their commentary on reports from the NY Times, Washington Post, and the various wire services. Unfortunately, such reporting doesn't indicate that they (Fox) have any information to corroborate or disprove the newsprint stories.

I frequently listen to Fox in the morning, making a mental note of their citations to read the sources later in the day, since the broadcast media is by its nature superficial, and obviously geared to a short- attention-span audience.

[Elenya]

Could not possibly concentrate on his perfect target AND the arbitrary appearance of a white van!!

Absolutely right! Impossible.

perhaps they deliberately left that out...

I do think they deliberately left many things out. For one, we were supposed to get a composite photo of the suspect and we only got one of...the van! I think they changed their mind for a very good reason. I'm speculating: they're on a hot trail and an arrest is imminent, or they're being blackmailed (perps threatened to do something MUCH bigger if they go after them).

[Merovingian]

That certainly would make sense IF there are 2 of them involved..

[Merovingian]

...of course the target would still have to be standing still..

[ritarotunda]

There is a lot of smoke and probably fire with all the eyewitness accounts and police requests for help finding a white box truck and a Chevy Astro mini-van. My best guess is that there are two or more "snipers" and at least these two vehicles. Still don't know if smaller van could be hidden inside the big box truck. At any rate, after a shooting, the police are looking for a moving van or moving box truck, not both. Let's say they drive the box truck with the mini-van inside; park the truck a mile away in a location not readily visible from the air or ground; drive the van out of the truck to go do the hit; come back to the truck; stick the van inside (or park it outside in the hidden location)and drive the truck--not down a major interstate. The police are looking for a moving van--not a large white box truck. Since the composite of the truck has been shown, they can't drive it again.

[Merovingian]

or they're being blackmailed (perps threatened to do something MUCH bigger if they go after them).

that's an interesting angle...

[Fred Mertz]

The sniper(s) seem to hit during rush hours and not on the weekends. Since tomorrow is Columbus Day and a federal holiday, I'm thinking the sniper(s) will take tomorrow off and hit again on Tuesday.

[Elenya]

That certainly would make sense IF there are 2 of them involved..

They'd probably need 2 vehicles too. I don't buy it. Too complicated. I think the reason why they succeeded so well so far is because they're in TOTAL control of choosing the victims. ANY outside constraint would make their task much more difficult and would've meant some failed attempts. IMO

[Elenya]

Since tomorrow is Columbus Day and a federal holiday, I'm thinking the sniper(s) will take tomorrow off and hit again on Tuesday.

Good point!

[Merovingian]

yes, as i said: ...'of course the target would still have to be standing still'..

I feel quite certain there is only one...

[Lessismore]

Three or four blocks north of where Charlot was when the bullet hit him is a Ramada Inn, also on Georgia Ave. (There was a Ramada Inn right across the street from yesterday's shooting. Law enforcement, according to today's Washington Post, was interested by the proximity of motels in several recent shootings of the sniper.)

Do motels employ laundry services that would use white box trucks and vans for pickup and delivery?

[Elenya]

yes, as i said: ...'of course the target would still have to be standing still'..

Sorry. I didn't see your answer until after I posted... :o)