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No accurate sketch of sniper suspect as US Army set to join hunt
Agence France-Presse | 10/16/02

Posted on 10/16/2002 6:55:53 PM PDT by kattracks

Police probing a wave of sniper killings in the Washington area said eyewitnesses were unable to come up with an accurate composite sketch of the suspect as the military offered airborne surveillance to help the hunt for the serial sniper.

"Unfortunately, distance and darkness and perhaps adrenaline have made ... them unable to give us a clear composite we can disseminate," Montgomery County police captain Nancy Demme told reporters.

Nine people have been killed and two others seriously wounded in the string of shootings that began October 2 in the greater Washington area.

In the wake of the most recent shooting, which claimed the life of an FBI intelligence analyst late Monday, police were initially buoyed by the number of witnesses who came forward claiming to have seen a man firing the murder weapon at the scene.

Police also used these descriptions to develop a composite image of a light-colored van which was released Tuesday.

The US military confirmed Wednesday that it would provide aircraft fitted with sophisticated surveillance equipment that could track the sniper even if he opens fire under cover of darkness, as he did on Monday.

The move was approved by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Tuesday, just hours after an FBI employee, Linda Franklin, was confirmed as the ninth victim. Franklin was shot on Monday night in a shopping mall car park in Falls Church, Virginia .

The US military is banned from domestic law enforcement and use of its surveillance equipment would be restricted to a support role, according to the Pentagon.

Monday night, the killer again managed to slip through a huge security dragnet unleashed within minutes of the shooting, but police believe they have secured vital new clues as to the sniper's identity.

Hundreds of police from the states of Virginia and Maryland as well as the city of Washington and federal agencies are already hunting for the sniper who has killed each victim, seemingly chosen at random, with a single shot.

However, police said eyewitnesses gave conflicting accounts of what they saw.

"The only common denominator is 'male.'" Demme said, discounting earlier police reports that witnesses had seen an "olive-skinned man."

Police were also hoping the killer's image might have been captured by video surveillance cameras operating in the shopping center Monday.

Demme did say that one witness to Monday's shooting was emphatic that he had seen the shooter fire an AK-74 assault rifle.

Police have said the killer might have used a light-colored van with a ladder rack on the roof and possibly a tail light that does not work.

Amid mounting public nervousness, eyewitnesses reported seeing scores of suspicious vans while anything resembling a single shot has set off police alarms.

Many schools in the region have been keeping children indoors during school hours since October 2 and have canceled many after-school activities. Since four of the 11 attacks occurred at gas stations, motorists are wary of buying gas in areas where the killings were carried out.

"For most area residents the latest killing only reinforced a sense of fear and imprisonment," said the Washington Post in an editorial which urged school authorities to find a way to let children resume normal life.

On Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed a bill tightening controls on gun sales, while the White House dismissed calls by gun-control advocates for a national ballistic database of weapons sold in the United States.

The House bill seeks to identify people with a history of mental illness or criminals ahead of the purchase of firearms.



TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events; US: District of Columbia; US: Maryland; US: Virginia
KEYWORDS:

1 posted on 10/16/2002 6:55:53 PM PDT by kattracks
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To: kattracks
It is apparent that we do not have a bead on this sniper (or snipers) yet.
2 posted on 10/16/2002 6:56:52 PM PDT by SamAdams76
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To: SamAdams76
They have a bead on the terrorists and descriptions they won't release, it's just that they hit a goldmine with people turning in their white male gun enthusiast neighbors and ex-husbands:

"Steady run of arrests continued Tueday as agents of the federal bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms pursued tips and found individuals with illegal rifles..."

3 posted on 10/16/2002 7:07:36 PM PDT by spycatcher
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To: SamAdams76
the killer again managed to slip through a huge security dragnet

Perhaps what they should do would be to give a broadcast radio call for all motorists in the vicinity to reduce speed and bring the area into gridlock to give the police time to set up check points at exit ramps.

This goes against all instincts to "get the hell out", but I'll bet you would get cooperation from enough motorists to create the jam and trap him in traffic.

I'm also concerned that the sniper team/cell is sending observers/spotters in white Astro Vans to draw attention leaving every crime scene but they would be clean if stopped, the sniper getting away in a smaller sedan. Maybe that's why there is so much eye witness confusion.

4 posted on 10/16/2002 7:20:46 PM PDT by NJJ
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To: kattracks
See...this latest shooting had a female witness who said she saw a man with OLIVE SKIN either HISPANIC OR MIDDLE EASTERN actually taking the shot and fleeing in an Astrovan.

If this turns out to be a terrorist attack...its going to start a stampede to the gun stores...and MAYBE a a landslide to throw out the anti-gun pacifist pols. NAAAAAAAW I know. But it is a DREAM I have.

5 posted on 10/16/2002 7:21:01 PM PDT by ExSoldier
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To: SamAdams76
It's a gittin' tuh thuh pint ah jist mite take a notion to hop on my mule and ride on up thar to washinton an' ketch that thar feller. Now if I cud jist fin' muh mule ah bet ah'd be invited on ever tawk show they is iffen ah was tuh kill that rascal.
6 posted on 10/16/2002 7:22:11 PM PDT by RipSawyer
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To: spycatcher
We know what this is all about. No one in any of those affirmative inaction departments wants to be the first to release a composite drawing of the suspect as actually described by eye witnesses. Anyone notice the absence of Moose on t.v? He and many experts have been referring to the suspect as a "psycho." That's rather funny coming from a person that was ordered to undergo a psychological examination when he was in Portland.
7 posted on 10/16/2002 7:38:06 PM PDT by KeyLargo
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To: KeyLargo
Who me???
8 posted on 10/16/2002 7:55:56 PM PDT by spycatcher
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To: NJJ
Perhaps what they should do would be to give a broadcast radio call for all motorists in the vicinity to reduce speed and bring the area into gridlock to give the police time to set up check points at exit ramps.

I'm not convinced the shooter and/or his accomplices are driving very far.

I've posted this elsewhere, but I'm wondering if they are quickly going to ground in a pre-arranged safe haven near the site of the shooting. Then, after the dust settles, they leave at their leisure in another vehicle.

9 posted on 10/16/2002 7:58:03 PM PDT by justlurking
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To: KeyLargo
We also see the militarization of the police and a ban on hunting. This will be used to go further after the second amendment.
10 posted on 10/16/2002 7:58:57 PM PDT by FreedomFriend
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To: kattracks
The fact that the snipers have not shot anyone for the past 2 night makes me think they were close to getting caught at the Home Depot. Has anyone heard anything about the highway killings near St.Louis this morning? I heard it on FOX when I got up this morning and then nothing else all day.
11 posted on 10/16/2002 8:00:52 PM PDT by dalebert
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To: kattracks
I don't know why they don't release 2-3 different composite pictures and just say this is what 'X' number of people saw.
12 posted on 10/16/2002 8:04:09 PM PDT by blam
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To: blam
Thats a good point.

So what if the composite sketches don't agree. If the witnesses are from diffent crime scenes, maybe there were different shooters. The nice thing about being in a conspiracy is that you don't have to do all the work.
13 posted on 10/16/2002 8:13:03 PM PDT by Maximum Leader
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To: NJJ
I think the addition of this spy plane in the air might be a good tool.Those cameras can zoom in on the pattern on your shirt,and this could enable the police to track a vehicle down quickly.This will make it a more difficult game for the sniper to play.The walls are closing in on him/her.
14 posted on 10/16/2002 8:13:55 PM PDT by Rocksalt
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To: Rocksalt
"This will make it a more difficult game for the sniper to play.The walls are closing in on him/her."

He/they are gone. Spooked the last time when they were seen when they moved in close to make the head shot that the TV said they hadn't made yet. I expect they were suprized by the quick area lock down and were almost caught.

They'll probably take some time off and move to another city, probably New York. (Just my thoughts)

15 posted on 10/16/2002 8:21:56 PM PDT by blam
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To: blam
Maybe the walls have closed in and the sniper will vanish.Or maybe after taking someone out at 30 yards and also shooting right in front of a police officer previously the person will try something even bolder.It seems like the person's MO is to constantly keep upping the ante.The next few days or the next attack will be interesting to watch play out,whichever comes first.Hopefully no one else will be shot,and the authoritys will catch the killer/killers.
16 posted on 10/16/2002 8:30:33 PM PDT by Rocksalt
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To: Rocksalt
yep they are planning the next one. In my guestimate it will be one the birds can't see, since we've announced they are up. What dumbasses our enforcement are.

The people will have to step up where our government is failing. It's time.

17 posted on 10/17/2002 7:09:36 AM PDT by CJ Wolf
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To: CJ Wolf
"The people will have to step up where our government is failing. It's time."

I know there is a half a million reward for information leading to arrest in this case.I'm wondering is that "dead or alive"? I'm assuming this is not a bounty.
18 posted on 10/17/2002 6:34:58 PM PDT by Rocksalt
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