[Illbay]

If the guy had said "white male and a cream-colored Astro van with a 'Sore-Loserman' sticker on it," the police would never have touched him.

[waxhaw]

I wonder what the feds and police are going to say if the snipings cease for now... having killed 9 and shot 11. This number, 9/11, will not be lost on the public, no matter how much the feds and police wish it to be.

[gridlock]

Maybe it's over.

I think that is the police's worst nightmare, because it means they will never close this case. They would gladly sacrifice a few more sheep in order to develop a clue.

If the police were smart.... Sometimes I make myself laugh... If the police were smart, they would very publicly say that the snipings are over and the increased police mobilizations are ending. But they should keep in place all the shot tracking technology and aerial assets that they have.

It could be that these shooters know that the current environment is too hot, and are waiting for things to cool down. The police should tell them what they expect to hear.

It's Maryland. Whine about how the state can't afford it. Bite your lip a little, Chief Moose. Complain about overtime. Have the Governor say that his newest-latest-and-greatest gun grabbing scheme will certainly eliminate all future crime. In other words, just be yourselves, and the shooters will come out again.

[afz400]

Dowdy should be jailed for this - he told police the sniper went east on Rt 50, when in fact he went west, as witnessed by a Hispanic women who called 911 but couldn't find anyone who spoke Spanish. The police stopped traffic east bound, which made it even easier for the sniper to esacpe. In addition, he caused police not to search the vacant parking lot accross the street, which IMHO is where the sniper shot from.

[NYer]

Nancy Demme said the shell was found in a white box truck Friday evening by workers at a car rental agency near Dulles International Airport in Virginia.

It has now been 5 days since the last shooting. And, by the way, 9 of the 11 victims are dead.

Numerical coincidence?

If this rental van proves to be the connection, we will all have to begin worrying - Where is the sniper headed next?

[syriacus]

They are probably trying to make an example of him, almost to punish him for the extent of the frustration that they have," Fox said.

I see....
nowdays
prosecuting someone is only done out of malice.

[Ranger]

A rental car place will have surveillance camera and other security. I doubt it is the truck, but if it is then the police have some leads.

[maximus@Nashville]

From CNN.com

ROCKVILLE, Maryland (CNN) -- Investigators of the Washington-area sniper shootings Friday night seized a white box truck after a shell casing was found inside the vehicle at a Virginia car rental agency, Montgomery County Police said.

The caliber of the casing is unknown at this point. The casing and the truck are to be examined by forensics experts at an undisclosed location. The federal bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is expected to have results of ballistics testing on the shell casing no sooner than 9 a.m. Saturday.

The Montgomery County Police Department, which is leading the multi-jurisdictional task force to find the sniper who has killed nine people and wounded two others since October 2, has sent a team of investigators to the rental car agency.

The shootings have taken place in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.

Authorities would not say when Friday night they seized the vehicle or how they were tipped to it.

However, a source close to the investigation said an employee at a rental agency near Washington Dulles International Airport found the shell casing when he was cleaning out the truck and then notified authorities.

Police would not disclose further details about the truck, for instance, if it had lettering on the side or a damaged right rear bumper as did the composite graphic of a suspect vehicle some witnesses have reported near shooting scenes in Maryland.

Police also said they are still actively searching for the vehicle in that composite and still want the public to provide information pertaining to the shootings.

The thing that strikes me is, are police only now checking rental agencies? With the number of different vehicles used, (at least 3) that would have been one of my first steps.