FBI HAS ASKED PENTAGON TO SEARCH RECORDS FOR GI’S WHO HAD GONE THROUGH SNIPER SCHOOL

Drudge Report ^ | 10/13/02

[Brian Mosely]

FBI HAS ASKED PENTAGON TO SEARCH RECORDS FOR RECENTLY DISCHARGED GI’S WHO HAD GONE THROUGH SNIPER SCHOOL, FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS TELL TIME

Nearly 1,000 People Working On Sniper Case, Including ATF Units, U.S. Marshals, and State Police

FBI Creating Animated 3-D Computer-Graphic Displays to Reconstruct Crime Scene, In Hopes of Jogging Witnesses Memories

New York -- The FBI has asked the Pentagon to search its records for recently discharged GIs who had gone through sniper school, federal law enforcement sources tell TIME. The schools teach snipers to work in tandem—one as the spotter, the other as the shooter, TIME’s Amanda Ripley reports.

An estimated 1,000 people are working on the case, including Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms units, U.S. Marshals and state police. The FBI. is creating animated 3-D computer-graphic displays to reconstruct the crime scene and help calculate the sniper’s position, in hopes of jogging potential witnesses’ memories, TIME reports.

The Science of Catching a Killer If there’s any consolation for horrified Americans watching the drama of the sniper slayings unfold, it’s that now, more than ever in history, officials have the skills to catch so slippery a killer, TIME’s Jeffrey Kluger reports. Even as the shooter—or shooters—taunted investigators by picking off more victims last week, police unleashed an unprecedented arsenal of tools to crack the case: geographic-profiling computers to try to pinpoint the killer’s location, ballistics databases that might link his unique bullet markings to other crimes, and trace-substance technology to lift whatever clues (fingerprints, DNA) might adhere to a shell casing or a tarot card.

But investigators are less dependent than ever on chance, and what they’ve unveiled this week is only a sampling of what they have in their high-tech kits, TIME reports. Perhaps the most futuristic—and controversial—of the new crime-busting technologies is a procedure known as brain fingerprinting. The principle behind the technique is that when the brain processes an image it recognizes (as opposed to one it has never seen before), it emits distinct electrical impulses that are detectable by scalp sensors. A positive response to a photo of a crime scene may mean a suspect was there before; a negative response may help confirm an alibi.

TIME.com Person of the Week: Charles A. Moose For his role as the unofficial spokesman for the sniper investigation, Charles Moose is TIME’s person of the week. This strong-willed, inveterate leader wants to do it his way — a tall order when you consider the masses of media, federal police and FBI agents swarming around each new crime scene — and second-guessing every move that's made.

Developing...

[Consort]

Let's get Bob Lee Swagger in on this.

[Rebelbase]

". Chances are that some of the dead victims might be alive if he used a rifle chambered for 7.62 ammunition. "

How is that?

[Maximum Leader]

I was thinking the same thing. That Oregon cell that got busted had a member who'd joined the army reserves just so he could go to basic traning. He didn't even bother going to to his unit in Oregon after he got back from Fort Jackson.

Being taught to fire an M-16 by Army instructors would come in handy for a sniper.

[stuartcr]

I don't know, have you read most of the posts here on freerepublic? I'm just pointing out the fact that this shooter doesn't have to be a genius, a trained sniper, a crazed Muslim, or anything special other than a murderer. I don't like the fact that the press and most of these freeper responses seem to put this guy on a pedestal. A completely random act of violence, done to an unknown, at an unknown location doesn't take a lot of brains, just evil.

[Rebelbase]

"Headline you will never see:

FBI HAS ASKED INS TO SEARCH RECORDS FOR MUSLIM SNIPERS RECENTLY ADMITTED TO U.S."

Bump!!!!!!!!!!!

[stuartcr]

Correct.

[CIB-173RDABN]

---

There is a part of all military training that is being overlooked her, and that is how they get average everyday boys (men) to over come a major societal taboo, killing another human being.

A sociopath may be able to kill for no reason, but the average person, especially without training, would find it difficult to site down the barrel of a rifle, line up a human, and pull the trigger.

That is one reason the sleepers in this country had to make the trip to Afghanistan so they could be indoctrinated in the “rightness” of their cause. That is why targets are made in human silhouettes.

When this person or persons are caught, we will find they have received training.

[livius]

I'm still thinking Bosnia.

[cryptical]

So have they checked where Lon Horiuchi is spending his time now?

[stuartcr]

Never heard of him.

[stuartcr]

I was never taught anything about overcoming any societal taboos...just how to shoot, where to aim, and if I didn't do it right, I would be dead. No moral training.

[umgud]

I agree that he (or them) has had some formal training. If it's a pair, I say it's almost probably conventional terrorists, as opposed to a single nut. A couple of kids doing this doesn't compute for me. Don't forget that all the victims do have one thing in common; They are all Americans.

[BradyLS]

I haven't made up my mind on who this sniper is-- al Qaeda, a nut, two nuts, former military....

Hey! Whatever happened to that engineering school nut who went AWOL from the 82nd and built that Homeless Hilton out in the middle of some Maryland park? There was a FR thread that said he was being given a bus ticket to return to NC on his own recognizence.

[CIB-173RDABN]

I was never taught anything about overcoming any societal taboos...just how to shoot, where to aim, and if I didn't do it right, I would be dead. No moral training.

---

You did not go through bayonet training? Aim at the gut and yell "Kill" "Kill" Kill" each time you stuck the dummy? You didn't fire at targets shaped like men? You didn't march to candence with reference with what you wanted to do to the enemy?

I did not say there is a formal class on overcoming the taboo, I said that is one of the goals of the training.

It may not even be meant to be realized, but as I reflect back on my training, adding the wisdom of 30 more years of life experience, I can understand now what was being done. (And for the record, I think it is a necessary part of the training process.)

[stuartcr]

Do you think he could tell their citizenship through a scope?

[stuartcr]

In the army they did teach the spirit of the bayonet (kill), just as todays computer games do. Many shoot at man-shaped targets at my gun club now. I used to want to kill Indians when I was a kid, especially after watching westerns. In the navy, they teach you to shoot, but no bayonet training. After the army and navy, the only thing refined was how to use different kinds of weapons and new targets. The media indoctrinates more about killing every day, than the military ever did, and, at a younger age.

[Servant of the Nine]

Hey, this person is good. Damn good

If he was even competent, at that range he would be showing off by shooting them all in the ear hole or in the eye. His level of marksmanship is that of a very poor deer hunter. I would certainly never let someone who shot that badly go hunting with me.

SO9

[Servant of the Nine]

How do YOU know he is shooting from 150? Because the Police say so? Please. He is playing with them.

The shooting spot can be seen with the naked eye by the fan pattern in the grass or in the dust on the pavement. Analysis of the residue will disclose whether or not the pattern is fresh.

So9

[Double Tap]

Chances are that some of the dead victims might be alive if he used a rifle chambered for 7.62 ammunition.

Which 7.62mm cartridge are you refering to?

[Prodigal Son]

Hmmm. I suggested that the FBI should do this last week on one these threads.

I wouldn't find it surprising if the guy is ex military. McVeigh was ex Military- in fact he served with distinction. It is a fact that the military does have a sniper school and it is not implausible to suppose that whoever is doing this might have attended.

The only thing that makes me think he didn't go through the school though is the caliber of his bullet. You'd think he'd use a weapon in the .30 cal range. I don't think (although admittedly- I don't know for sure) they use the 5.56 in the military sniper school. You'd think if this guy had gone through the training, he'd want to stick to the round he used in the course because he would know the most about it. Useless to speculate what might be going through a nut's head though.

Another thing to note- it's not just military that go through sniper school. SWAT team guys- they do it as well.