http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/marylandshootings021014.html
Police are questioning the owner of this white
van in connection with the serial sniper
shootings that have terrorized the Washington,
D.C., area. (ABCNEWS.com)
Another Victim?
Woman Shot Dead in Home Depot Parking Lot;
Police Search for Armed Man
Oct. 14 — A woman was shot and killed tonight in Fairfax
County, Va., and police are searching for an armed man
driving a cream-colored minivan.
The woman was shot in the parking lot of a Home Depot store
in Falls Church at about 9:20 p.m. ET.
Many roads, including a portion of the freeway beltway that
rings Washington, D.C., are closed as authorities search for a
possible shooter. Police have not linked the latest case with
other shootings attributed to the sniper who has terrorized the
area over the past 12 days but are investigating a possible
connection.
Authorities are looking for an olive-skinned man wearing a
blue denim jacket and blue jeans and carrying a
semi-automatic rifle.
Police also are searching for a vehicle but descriptions of the
vehicle vary. One is a cream-colored GMC Safari van while
another is a 1990 white Dodge Caravan with the license plate
JBV 8730.
Domestic Dispute Probed
Meanwhile, police today questioned a man who was shot
during a domestic dispute. Authorities discovered him to drive
a white van and to have a number of weapons.
In the case of the man questioned, three investigators told
ABCNEWS' John Miller that he came to police officers'
attention when they found him wounded Saturday night in his
white Astro minivan. Authorities have been on the lookout for
such a van, which eyewitnesses said sped away from the
scene of a shooting Friday in Virginia that left a Philadelphia
man dead.
The man being questioned was shot by his girlfriend in an
apparent domestic dispute, authorities said. He was treated at
a Baltimore hospital.
Police found police scanners and maps in the van, sources
said. Investigators also obtained a search warrant for the
man's Baltimore apartment and allegedly found a Marine Corps
sniper's manual and other books on snipers, police scanners
and an arsenal of weapons that included an AR-15 and five
handguns.
Police test-fired the AR-15 but it didn't match the one used by
the sniper. Police believe the potential suspect has another
AR-15 that they have not found yet. None of the weapons
found in the man's home match the ballistics evidence
recovered in the shootings but sources told ABCNEWS that
police are searching for additional weapons at another
location.
The man, who was not identified, is a former eight-year
veteran of the Marines with no criminal record, sources said.
He works as a radio repairman for Motorola. Baltimore police
began questioning him this afternoon.
Sources told ABCNEWS that investigators are also interested
in at least three other potential suspects. All three have had
emotional problems, have access to white trucks and are
known for collecting firearms, the sources said. Investigators
learned about these other suspects through tips phoned in
from associates who were concerned about them.
Police Report Progress, Little Else
Under pressure from the worried public, police have been trying to find the sniper responsible
for a series of shootings that have terrified residents of Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland
since Oct. 2 . They have released images of a white panel truck, the kind used for deliveries,
that witnesses say may have been linked to some of the shootings. They were also expected to
release a composite photo of the white Astro van.
Jittery residents braced themselves for another sniper attack today, even though there has not
been an attack since Friday — the longest break by the sniper yet. Earlier today, police insisted
they were making progress in the case but refused to share detailed information with the public.
"I think the progress is going very well," said Montgomery County, Md., police Chief Charles
Moose. "Certainly some of you may deem me an optimist."
Moose said today that witnesses at several incidents reported seeing the white box truck that
may be connected to the shooter.
And they are also looking at surveillance videos. They interviewed at least one man who was
near the site of the latest shooting, which occurred Friday at a gas station in Spotsylvania
County, Va., about 50 miles south of Washington. The man told The Associated Press that
detectives thought at first he was the shooter, after comparing him to a sandy-haired man who
was seen on the tape.
(Click here to receive major updates on the sniper shootings)
Communities on Edge, a President Sickened
Across the Washington area, there are signs life has changed. Drivers gassing up their cars
have been seen crouching behind the pumps, or asking members of the Guardian Angels
volunteer organization to fill the tank for them. One driver was even wearing a bulletproof vest.
"I'm just doing what I feel is safe for me until they catch him," said Harrison Scurry, of Rockville,
Md.
High school football practice moved
indoors, and tailgate parties for a Sunday
Redskins game were held under the
watchful eyes of police chaperones.
"I'm more aware of our surroundings and,
you know, we basically didn't want to park
near the woods," said local resident Andy
Keninitz.
The sniper killings and the idea that people
were living in fear revolted President
Bush, who made his first on-air comment
about the attacks.
"I'm just sick — sick to my stomach — to
think that there is a cold-blooded killer at
home taking innocent life," Bush said. "The
idea of moms taking their kids to school
and sheltering them from a potential sniper
attack is not the America that I know."
Police have been flooded with tips from
worried residents. Many of the tips have
been false alarms, Moose said.
"We also want to admit that people are
edgy," he said. "People are hearing
things."
Tracking a Killer
Investigators have noted a number of other patterns: the killer favors suburban gas stations;
fires a single round; has not let two weekdays pass without opening fire again; and, judging
from a tarot card found at one crime scene, appears to enjoy taunting police.
According to sources close to the investigation, the Pentagon has been asked to search records
for recently discharged GIs who have had sniper training.
However, police are not commenting on the reports. Nor are they talking about a yellow piece of
paper found at the scene of Friday's killing in Virginia. It reportedly contained scribbled directions
from northern Maryland to the Capital Beltway, the highway that rings Washington, linking
Maryland and Virginia.
The release of the composite image and the timing of the
sniper shootings has led to speculation that the sniper
may be a contractor who has access to these white
trucks through his job but is off weekends when he
doesn't have access. One theory is he is shooting from
inside the back of the truck.
Some suspect the sniper chooses locations that offer a
quick getaway. The last four shootings were all close to
major highways and quick escape routes.
Police have also used computer software to reconstruct
the crime scenes and pinpoint the shooter's position.
Originally designed for movies like Star Wars, the
programs can line up the bullet trajectories.
Authorities today offered an address for people to send
in tips: P.O. Box 7875, Gaithersburg, MD 20898-7857.
People who want to report information on the case can
also call a tip line set up by police: 1-888-324-9800.
So far, authorities say they
have received more than 1,700 credible leads since the shootings began. The reward for any
information leading to the arrest and indictment of the individual or individuals responsible for the
shootings has now reached $500,000.
Contributions to the reward can be sent to Montgomery County Reward Fund, Office of the
County Executive, 101 Monroe St., Rockville, Md., 28050. Contributions also can be made by
telephoning (240) 777-8970.
ABCNEWS' John Miller in Maryland and Pierre Thomas in Washington, D.C. contributed to
this report.
A Bloody Timeline
The string of attacks began Wednesday, Oct. 2, at around 5:20 p.m., when a single shot was
fired near Michael's, a craft store in the town of Aspen Hill. It was the only miss.
Forty minutes later, James Martin, 55, was killed in a parking lot at Shoppers Food Warehouse
in Wheaton, Md., about 15 miles north of Washington.
On the morning of Thursday, Oct. 3, four more people — James L. "Sonny" Buchanan, 39;
Prenkumar Walekar, 54; Sarah Ramos, 34; and Laurie Ann Lewis-Rivera, 25, — were killed
within a three-hour period at nearby locations.
Pascal Charlot, 72, died after being shot once in the chest at around 9:15 p.m. that evening in
Northwest Washington.
On Friday, Oct. 4, a 43-year-old woman was shot in Fredricksburg, Va., as she loaded
packages into her car in a store parking lot. She has been released from the hospital.
At 8:09 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 7, a 13-year-old boy was shot outside Benjamin Tasker Middle
School in Bowie, Md., just after his aunt dropped him off for school. He spent three hours in
surgery after the single bullet damaged his spleen, pancreas and diaphragm, and remains in
critical but stable condition.
The boy's name has not been released and his family has asked close friends to respect their
confidentiality and privacy because they do not want to potentially endanger their loved one or
compromise the search for the sniper.
On Wednesday night, Oct. 9, Dean Harold Meyers, 53, of Gaithersburg, Md., was shot dead at
a Sunoco gas station in Manassas, Va. Police said ballistics evidence had confirmed the killing
was linked to the earlier attacks.
The last killing occurred Friday morning, Oct. 11, when Kenneth Bridges, 53, of Philadephia,
was shot while fueling his sedan in a gas station just south of Fredericksburg, Va.
— ABCNEWS.com
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