Beltway Sniper Shootings-FR Commentary-Friday-Oct. 18, 2002

Fox News, CNN, Press Conferences | October 18, 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.

[Miss Marple]

I think that is an excellent idea as well. Since the Amber alert system is going to be in effect in all states soon, I would suggest a combination of the two...horns blaring and all radios required to notify immediately that everyone stop in place. Everywhere, not just on major highways.

[twigs]

i just don't believe that this guy(s) intended to miss twice

I agree. However, I am beginning to wonder if some of the victims were pre-selected targets and others were random. I realize that there are problems with that scenario, but I don't think it should be excluded.

[johnny7]

It could be “The Irish Travellers” for all the police know.

Olive-skinned, dark-skinned, cream colored astro-van, white box truck...

Yesterday morning when I left my appartment, 2 white vans zipped by. They are the most popular small-trade vehicles.

Chief Moose is praying that they just go away... shoot somewhere else.

[xsmommy]

i don't know, maybe someone else could answer. i never saw the actual description of the bloodhound tracking. There are woods on that side of 50 and the parking lot in front of the school is never really very occupied. the school used to be my polling place, when i lived over there.

[mystery-ak]

The *trial run* is a good theory(I don't know if I agree) considering Atta and his cohorts made several trial runs on flights before 9-11.

[twigs]

reactivate the cold war era civil defense horn alarm systems

A super idea!

[tomkat]

Maybe I can hit something better than I can talk today.

not to be a grey cloud on your optimism or anything,
but i've found that if i'm at the point where my speech is sub-par (oy vey),
my scorecard generally looks like the box score for an NBA game ...

your mileage may vary ...

[cajungirl]

Hon, you aren't going to a golf course are you? If so, just walk in that zig zag pattern!!

[twigs]

I think the change of location is what scares me the most and why we are looking over our backs in other parts of the country(in central OH here--not all that far a trip from DC)

Several days ago, the NYPD asked their public to be on the lookout for the two vans in question. On our local news, police in Delaware are gearing up and asking the public to be especially vigilant. They are right up I-95. From this I gather that LE is preparing for the worst at least on the East Coast and I imagine all over the country.

[tubebender]

Just heard on KTVU2 out of Oakland that there is a terrorist in captivity in France who claims he saw sniper training and that (get this) they planned to target Senators on golf courses in the DC area.

[tomkat]

maybe today's the day.
later ...

[cajungirl]

Gee, those Senators sure are going to have a crimp

[Quilla]

I have hoped from the beginning that this is the work of a home grown, crazed serial killer. A group of terrorists that could move from state to state with a neverending supply of replacement killers would be next to impossible to stop. Yet, if is one of ours, I'm afraid the cat's out of the bag and we have given terrorists incredible food for thought.

[twigs]

a trial run by terrorist cells to see how our LEO would react. I'm afraid that we failed that test miserably

True, but there's a significant upside to this. By testing out our reactions and the competence of our system, we have had warning. The US, to be the size it is, can be remarkably, though arguably, quick to change strategy. Think 9/11. We stopped air traffic immediately, changed focus (although we still have a long way to go), but we did prevent more catastrophic attacks. We will be much better prepared because this happened. Not saying we're there yet, but we've been warned and LE is planning how to counter the terror.

[antivenom]

YEAH...and that SOB got all a bunch of FReeper's to make outragous statements about Middle Eastern Terrorism based on that a-hole's lies!

DAMN hard to build a GOOD "FR tin foil hat conspiracy" on mis-information...

[malakhi]

I believe the shooters have gone underground and won't be heard from again for some time.

Is it possible that they have already been caught? Perhaps the eyewitness information given out after the last shooting was accurate, and the reports to the contrary are misinformation. If so, I hope they are interrogating the hell out of them.

[antivenom]

YUP!!! Back to the COVER of BRUSH and WOODS...this PERP is NOT shooting from a vehicle...he is walking to the spot...cases the surrounding area...fires and casually walks (well maybe jogs....ok ok busts hiney) back to his waiting vehicle.

[malakhi]

Additionally, why would the FBI be going to Camp Gitmo?

Maybe that is where the sniper was taken.

Sheer speculation, I know, but it is as good a reason as any why there haven't been any further attacks.

[antivenom]

Peach...last night I had a thought and want to share with you....

WHAT IF...the sniper HAS made contact with the police??? MAYBE it is the "sniper" who made it OBVIOUS that the "witness" at the scene was lying...maybe the sniper and police have been in communication???

[packrat01]

it's a great idea: except some poor schmuck in a white van with a ladder rack and busted radio; who has to use the latrine NOW; is going to get shot for "having to go real bad".