Beltway Sniper Shootings-FR Commentary-Monday, Oct. 21, 2002

To: looney tune; xsmommy

It sounds like the schools are closed out of parental concerns for their children's safety.

The sniper is holding that region of the country at bay. Unbelieveable.

61 posted on 10/21/2002 5:25:55 AM PDT by spectre

actually, that site's only ~4mi from the beltway,
and rt50 to get to it is a pretty good-sized, moderately high-speed road.

our boy coulda been on the beltway in five minutes ...

62 posted on 10/21/2002 5:25:58 AM PDT by tomkat

Here it is: click here.

63 posted on 10/21/2002 5:27:00 AM PDT by mewzilla

"Your post (and three cups of coffee) have certainly opened my eyes to the possiblity of a threat to our school children. I pray this nightmare is soon over."

When the 13 year old boy was shot it did remind me that one of the communications, allegedly from OBL or one of his associates, claimed that our schools would be attacked. However, it did not state if we are talking about colleges, high schools, or grade schools. There was a thread posted last night, http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/772801/posts, about a shooting at a college in Australia yesterday but I was unable to find it on the AP site.

64 posted on 10/21/2002 5:27:10 AM PDT by Kerberos

Here is my post from another thread for everyone's consideration and criticisms.

To: Indie

I disagree that there is more than one shooter. It appears to me that the sniper acts alone, is highly trained, proficient (although not in the Lon Horiuichi category), disciplined, intelligent, and dedicated. He neither wants nor needs anyone else.

"He travels fastest who travels alone." Plus, partners can snitch. Why would he need a partner? To do what? He can do it all himself. After all, he is God.

The evidence suggests to me that our sniper is a home grown terrorist who knows the lay of the land like the back of his hand, has been highly trained by either the military or law enforcement or both, knows police procedures and how to thwart them, and has a grudge against Chief Moose and/or his department. His job (assuming he has one) allows him to be out and about scoping out new cites and carrying out shootings without arousing attention. He is not Middle Eastern in appearance, and could easily blend in anywhere.

Sometimes he walks, sometime he drives. I doubt that he has a white van. He uses a single shot from a single weapon. The single shot allows him to make a quick getaway. He does not really care if the victim lives or not, and a second shot would allow the direction of the shooter to become known. He may be proud of his skill using one shot, but practicalities, not ego, drive his one shot rule. He uses a single weapon so that it can be more easily shed when the time comes.

His weapon is either a deconstructable rifle or a rifle calibre pistol. Within seconds after the shooting, he is walking down the street toward his car carrying a backpack, duffle bag, briefcase, etc., totally escaping suspicion from anyone who is looking for a guy who has just used a gun to shoot someone.

Putting this all together, my vote is for a current or former, presumably disgruntled LEO with an unknown agenda or something to prove. He is not a "psycho" or a "nut," unless you are going to take the position that all murderers are by definition a psychotic nut.

We will now more about his motives when we know more about him. It could be something so petty as being passed over for promotion or being told he didn't make the grade for an elite team. He is using the 911 tragedy as cover. He is a terrorist, but his terror is a means to an end, not the end itself. I can only speculate about what that end might be, but his ultitmate objective may not be that important, except only to him.

This is the best explanation that I have been able to come to given the known facts and reasonable inferences and interpretations thereof.
991 posted on 10/21/02 4:59 AM Pacific by Iwo Jima [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 987 | View Replies | Report Abuse ]

65 posted on 10/21/2002 5:27:28 AM PDT by Iwo Jima

Home Depot is on or is close to a number of major roads (it's called Seven Corners), thus providing the killer with numerous escape routes. The false information from a "witness" (he'll have his first court appearance today for lying to the police) placed the killer in the parking lot. Others--and the search--placed him across the road, which'd be consistent with the murderer.

66 posted on 10/21/2002 5:28:05 AM PDT by Catspaw

Virginia school days are set by law. Look at all the trouble they have making up snow days. They would simply tell those parents who were that concerned to keep their kids home on their own.

In addition, look at all the chaos shutting the schools down causes for single parents or in homes where both parents work. (And this is almost all families now.) It's just something they wouldn't do without a very good reason.

My concern is that they may just move the attack--whatever it is-- to a different area--children all over the two states may be at risk now.

67 posted on 10/21/2002 5:28:14 AM PDT by Lion's Cub

I'd say it's the second shooter. It's just not his style to make headshots. On weekends they spend their time at safe harbor somewhere near Fredericksburg planning the next week. This is the "third weekend" that they are winding up "SOUTH". The distance from Fredericksburg to Ashland is what I travel to see my daughter's family. No big deal.

Sac

68 posted on 10/21/2002 5:28:57 AM PDT by Sacajaweau

Dont be confused...
If the killer wanted to mess with the police somemore all he had to do was pick a random number out of the phone book
He knows the police and feds will be all over the poor schmuck whose number he gives
The poor guy will NEVER in a million years be able to convince anyone he doesnt know the killers and they will be in his life forever...Lord help him if he has one little thing out of line cause he is going down...for it what ever it is...
(witness anyone stopped in a white van is being arrested for anything else amiss in their lives if they were simply looking for the killer and or weapons...that would be one thing...but imo this should constitute a person no longer being secure in his person or possessions)
In the meantime he and his family are kicked out of their own house while ten thousand wind breakers are parked in his house...eating his food and clogging his toilet..waiting for the phone call to come in
Doesnt mean it is...but they will wait for it....and another innocent victim (the poor guy whose phone number was left in Ponderosa is now gonna pay...)

69 posted on 10/21/2002 5:29:01 AM PDT by joesnuffy

70 posted on 10/21/2002 5:29:28 AM PDT by Peach

schools are closed out of parental concerns

I don't buy it. Are they gonna keep them closed until the sniper is caught? That could be a long time. If there wasn't a threat, they could have the schools open and excuse the children of worried parents. There are always parents concerned about something. Are they gonna close every time? Something just doesn't seem right about this.

71 posted on 10/21/2002 5:30:06 AM PDT by looney tune

FOX also reported late last night that the bullet has indeed been removed from the victim- during his second surgery.

72 posted on 10/21/2002 5:31:01 AM PDT by rintense

No, just my fumble fingers getting in the way. The link's at post #63.

73 posted on 10/21/2002 5:31:09 AM PDT by mewzilla

Well, that splains Moose at the helm. There must be more messages. Someone else talking to the shooter might catch on.

Sac

74 posted on 10/21/2002 5:31:35 AM PDT by Sacajaweau

I'm betting that the sniper has told them them more info that is leaked to the media, the more people he kills.

75 posted on 10/21/2002 5:32:15 AM PDT by rintense

To: Peach; spectre

well, as i said on another thread. My kids are in school in Falls Church, 2 mi, from the home depot. they have been in lockdown for 2.5 weeks, but no one ever mentioned closing the schools. i just don't see it. The parental hysteria is helping to fuel this guy. There is no reason to take untoward risks, and i agree with the cancellation of outdoor activity, but closing the schools is ridiculous, IMO.

76 posted on 10/21/2002 5:32:18 AM PDT by xsmommy

I think that the sniper left a phone number which belongs to somebody/something important and which only an insider would know. Perhaps Chief Moose is coming to the same conclusion that I have that the sniper is not just one of "us," but a pretty well placed one at that.

77 posted on 10/21/2002 5:32:56 AM PDT by Iwo Jima

And in the 16th month of Moose conferences...the killer will have been seen in every conceivable color of van...
Van sales drop off sharply....Automakers no longer offer vans in white...

78 posted on 10/21/2002 5:33:03 AM PDT by joesnuffy

Maybe. My guess is he's asking for something that the cops don't want to make public.

79 posted on 10/21/2002 5:33:37 AM PDT by mewzilla

i think it is clear that the guy was in the parking lot across the street from the Home Depot in Falls Church and NOT in the HD parking lot. SO i don't buy the 30 yards from the victim.

80 posted on 10/21/2002 5:34:35 AM PDT by xsmommy

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