[Route66]

Hummm...Exactly 30 days...And a rental truck found near the airport.

How about this...

"The INS finalized on April 11 the
rule limiting the period of a
tourist's stay in the United States
to 30 days, instead of the usual
six months."

Here's just one of many sources for this.:
http://www.inq7.net/nat/2002/apr/15/nat_9-1.htm

[nicmarlo]

Thanks for the link and post; I wasn't aware of the 30-day change.

Interesting, too, that it also says:

An INS officer at the US port of entry will determine what he believes is a "fair and reasonable" amount of time needed for the visa holder's stated purpose of visit.

In case of doubt on what constitutes "fair and reasonable," the rule continues, the tourist visa holder "shall be admitted for a period of 30 days.

[Sacajaweau]

Hey 66: That INS angle is an interesting thought.

Sac

[livius]

A real possibility.

I'm still not convinced this guy flew away - although I think it should be kept as a possibility - because I can't believe that INS enforcement is particularly good yet.

Also, whoever drove around that area clearly knew it well. You couldn't do that just a couple of weeks after landing. So even if the shooter flew away, it's possible the others are still here.

Or maybe the driver changed IDS with the shooter and returned to his native land (whatever it was), leaving the shooter to go on to another contact in another city.

Or maybe it's a video game-crazed white middle class teenager...