Beltway Sniper Shootings-FR Commentary-Wednesday, Oct. 16

Fox News, CNN, Press Conferences | October 16, 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.

[Betty Jane]

About the tarot card. I heard on the radio yesterday, and I don't know who said it, that the tarot card may have been a response to Moose or Duncan who said something to the affect of "God help this guy when he's caught" or God have mercy on him" The tarot card was a response to that statement. "I am God" would then be the perfect response to a guy on an ego trip.

i was doing a serch of the press conferences the weekend before the 13 year old was shot but couldn't confirm any similar statement. It would make sense, because the school shooting took place after being told schools were safe.

[aristeides]

Well, can cell phone communications be intercepted and/or jammed?

[md2576]

A great way to make the sniper think we are looking the other way.

[ThinkingMan]

I still think that every neighborhood has at least one busy body who notices when vehicles are there and gone and that type of stuff. It is just strange to me, but the police are obviously not releasing everything they know either.

[aristeides]

The shooting last Friday was in pretty hard rain. I assume that's why choppers didn't go up.

[Chemist_Geek]

Well, can cell phone communications be intercepted and/or jammed?

Not legally. Electronic Communications Privacy Act, brought to you by the cellular industry's lobbying efforts.

As a practical matter, it's not hard to pin down a cell phone which is on and making or receiving calls. What's more difficult is connecting a particular person and which phone, out of the millions out there, that that person has. Of course, the easy thing to do is turn it off and remove the battery...

[Peach]

Good points, KSCITYBOY.

[js1138]

Heck, any junior high kid who knows computer graphics could have generated a rendition in an hour

I don't think the rendering time is the problem, but deciding which elements of conflicting testimony should be revealed.

Until monday night, no witness had reported seeing a shooter, and there was a lot of speculation that the vans were unrelated.

There are almost certainly multiple vehicles and multiple shooters and drivers. the cops do not want the public fixated on only one possibility. That would distort eyewitness accounts. There may even be a "white" guy involved.

[Peach]

I heard on Fox or CONN yesterday that a spent shell casing was found at the scene of Monday's shooting and the reporter said police are predicting that the shooter made a mistake. The previous shell casing was left behind, the reporter said, at the school shooting and was left on top of the tarot card - making it a deliberate move on the shooter's part.

[aristeides]

Does that act not have an exception for law enforcement?

[aristeides]

It's also possible that these guys are so darn dangerous that the cops don't want to take a chance on any civilians getting too close or trying to check them out--maybe they expect the van to be filled with explosives, etc.

If that's what the authorities fear, wouldn't it make sense for them to warn the public of the danger?

[js1138]

They could well be driving right into a semi.

The cops are already opening any truck large enough to hide a vehicle. One poor sap had an Astro in his Ryder truck. He was questioned for a while.

[EnquiringMind]

I agree - police are not releasing everything - they must have a pretty good idea who's involved...heard last night that 10 are under surveillance.

As far as neighbors, family, etc. not turning in tips, did any muslim tip off authorities to 9/11?

[tomkat]

assuming the tarot card thing hasn't been misdirection from the git,
your theory just made a loud 'click' in what little's left of my mind ...

[Miss Marple]

BREAKING: Highway shootings in St. Louis

[Peach]

LINK to drive-by shootings in Ohio - see Post 19 before giving it all up as a prank.

[oldironsides]

The Lowe's and Home Depot stores have extensive cameras
on all parts of the stores. The loss prevention folks operate a state of the art equipment to combat fraud and theft. I took a mini tour and was shown the area where all this takes place. They can zoom in on money in the cashiers hand. They have a parking lot camera that scopes out front and back. If the shooters took a tour of the parking area at any time and it is on the video and they may well have a zoomed in plate or photo. This all depends on how good the loss prevention person was at Home Depot and if they maintained the equipment. These outside cameras catch lumber, mower and large items loss and even show fender benders.

[Peach]

You beat me to it and I got the place wrong - thought it was Ohio. I need more sleep.

[Peach]

Re my Post on drive-by shootings in Ohio - I got the place wrong. See Miss Marple's post instead.