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Investigators Remain Tight-Lipped In Sniper Probe (Considering GI's & Have Truck Pictures)
The WMUR Channel ^ | 10/13/02

Posted on 10/13/2002 2:26:47 PM PDT by Tumbleweed_Connection

Serial sniper investigators are defending their limited release of information in the Washington-area sniper probe, saying they must strike a balance between enlisting the public's help and revealing too much to the killer.

Montgomery County, Md., police Chief Charles Moose has refused to answer questions about any investigative detail. He says if authorities have something they think the media can help them with, it will be released.

Since Oct. 2, eight people have been shot to death and two others wounded while doing such mundane chores as getting gas, mowing the lawn and going to school.

The latest victim, Kenneth Bridges, 53, (pictured, right) was gunned down Friday morning while pumping gas at a gas station in Fredericksburg, Va.

On Saturday, Moose expressed new concerns about the media's coverage of the investigation.

Moose said some media organizations may have decided to follow investigators and may even be stationing people at locations where they expect investigators to go.

Moose appealed to news outlets to consider that they may be jeopardizing the investigation, risking the safety of investigators and compromising witnesses.

He said if witnesses believe their safety or their reputation may be jeopardized, their willingness to help law enforcement may be at risk.

Moose said he knows he cannot make the media stay away, but he asked reporters to appeal to their sense of "the greater good."

Earlier this week, Moose lashed out at media coverage of leaks about evidence and the employment of retired officers -- who aren't close to the case -- as media consultants.

Police have confirmed the existence of the only apparent communication from the killer -- a tarot card with the words "Mister Policeman, I am God" -- after it was revealed in the media.

And on Saturday, they released two composite graphics of a white truck seen by witnesses.

Moose also said investigators remain very interested in a white Astro minivan seen near Friday's fatal shooting in Spotsylvania County, Va. But he was unable to determine when a composite of that vehicle would be available for the public.

However, police have not commented on everything from whether surveillance cameras have spotted the killer to a Time magazine report that the FBI has asked the Pentagon to search its records for recently discharged G.I.s who had gone through sniper school.

More Tips Flow In After Release Of Truck Images

The composite of the white box truck distributed Saturday has prompted a flurry of calls, Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose said Sunday.

Moose said a similar sketch of a white Chevrolet Astro van with a ladder on top, reportedly seen at the latest shooting on Friday, may be on the way.

Moose unveiled the images at a 5 p.m. press conference Saturday, emphasizing the graphics -- showing two angles of the truck -- are composites, not photographs.

"It is not a photograph of the truck. It has been modified. It has been retouched, and it is very close to what witnesses tell us from their memory," Moose said.

Moose says the truck was described as having white, oxidized paint, rather than a glossy finish. That leads him to believe that it may be an older truck.

There is also damage to the right rear bumper that doesn't come out clearly in the composites, Moose said.

He says there is large lettering on the side of the truck, but he says none of the witnesses could recall the exact wording. The truck was first reported by a witness at the scene of shooting at a Montgomery County post office on Oct. 3.

However, Moose said the composite was developed after talking to several witnesses from more than one shooting location.

Witnesses were unable to remember a license plate number, Moose said.

Moose hopes the release of the truck graphics will help jog the memories of potential witnesses.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Front Page News; US: District of Columbia; US: Maryland; US: Virginia
KEYWORDS: sniper
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To: Tumbleweed_Connection
This is my theory

#1 There are at least 2 moslems working together.(simple deduction: Occums Razor, we are at war)

D.C. Police and F.B.I. are avoiding giving a description of the perp because "he is an Islamo-fasist terrorist of mid east descent and do not want the heat from liberals for PROFILING. If they (the cops) keep this nonsense up and they (the perps) do not get caught soon, terrors cells all over North America are gonna start adopting this method and the body count is gonna go thru the roof. It's going to spread FAST. This is not some NUT NRA member. Which is what the media want it to be.

#2 A shooter is laying in the the prone shooting position in the back of a covered pick up truck. Shooting thru a peephole in the tailgate.

#3 The other guy is the calm getaway driver and lookout.

#4 They always park the truck with the bed facing the target. Its not camper type cover, that would draw attention from the cops. They are looking for a van.

#5 The lookout gets out of the vehicle and not only watches the surrounding area. But tells the shooter when its clear to pull the trigger via cell phone.

#6 The bed of the truck has a flat canopy. It is well insulated to keep the sound at a mininum. The direction of the suppressed sound is difficult to pinpoint.

#7 After the shoot, the driver calmly goes back to the truck and obeying the all traffic laws drive away while listening to the police chatter on scanners.

explanation: This is how I would do it, if I were a bad guy.
21 posted on 10/16/2002 7:28:31 PM PDT by kennyboy509
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To: kennyboy509
kennyboy, are you a bad guy?
22 posted on 10/16/2002 7:36:42 PM PDT by Balata
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To: Balata
No Way!

I have trouble shooting a deer.

Buck Fever, I start shaking like dawg pooping peach pits!

Can't hit squat!
23 posted on 10/16/2002 8:27:26 PM PDT by kennyboy509
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To: kennyboy509
LOL! You could do it like I did this past week, with your car. Yup, I totaled mine this week by hiting a deer. The RV next to me got one, as well as the car behind me and another car in the north bound lanes. Four in all. How's that for a successful hunt? Twelve of them jumped up out of the median and we got four of them. :^)

Hunting license? I don't need no stinkin hunting license.

24 posted on 10/16/2002 8:42:03 PM PDT by Balata
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