Posted on 10/21/2002 6:20:41 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Police hoped to hear from whoever left a message at the scene of a Virginia shooting in what could be a breakthrough in the hunt for the sniper whose deadly attacks have traumatized the Washington area.
Montgomery County, Maryland, Police Chief Charles Moose revealed on Sunday that a message had been left at the scene of a shooting on Saturday near a restaurant in Ashland, Virginia, and appealed to the person who left it to contact the police.
"To the person who left us a message at the Ponderosa (restaurant) last night, you gave us a telephone number. We do want to talk to you, call us at the number you provided," Moose, the head of the regional investigation, said in a televised appeal.
Moose declined to elaborate or take questions.
The Washington Post reported on Monday that authorities believe the person who left the message is the sniper who has killed nine people in the Washington area since Oct. 2.
NBC reported on Monday that note was "very lengthy" and contained "detailed threats." The Richmond Time-Dispatch newspaper said the note, containing the phone number and "significant text," was found in the woods behind the restaurant. Contents of the note were not disclosed.
Police were taking the message seriously and appeared convinced of its authenticity, though it could also be a hoax.
TAROT CARD MESSAGE
Police in Prince George's County, in Maryland, east of Washington, found the first apparent message from the sniper in Bowie, Maryland, where a 13-year-old was shot and critically injured at his school. The message on a Tarot death card directed to police said, "I am God."
Montgomery County, where the first five shootings took place, is the lead agency in the sniper investigation.
The 37-year-old shot on Saturday was fighting for his life after a second round of surgery during which doctors recovered the bullet that ripped through his stomach. Ballistics experts were examining it.
"They were able to successfully remove the bullet and it's now in the hands of law enforcement officials," said Joe Kuttenkuler, spokesman for the Medical College of Virginia Hospitals in Richmond. "The patient is still critical and in the intensive care unit."
Dr. Rao Ivatury said the prognosis for the man, who was not identified, was "fair to good" and he was in "very stable" condition.
In a brief statement, the man's wife, also unidentified, expressed gratitude for the support of hundreds of people.
"Please pray also for the attacker and that no one else is hurt," she said in the statement released by the hospital.
Police were acting on an assumption that the same gunman who has killed nine and wounded two others in the Washington area was responsible for the latest attack, about 80 miles south of the nation's capital, the furthest to date.
The previous shootings in Washington and the normally tranquil Maryland and Virginia suburbs had been linked by ballistics evidence.
A funeral service was scheduled for Monday in Arlington, Virginia, for Linda Franklin, 47, the victim of the last shooting definitively linked to the sniper.
Franklin, an FBI (news - web sites) intelligence analyst, was shot in the head on Oct. 14 as she and her husband loaded packages into their car outside a busy home-improvement store in Falls Church, Virginia, about 6 miles west of the White House.
Despite an intense hunt -- involving a small army of local, state and federal law enforcement officers -- police have made little headway in finding the unpredictable serial shooter.
A wide range of sports and other outdoor events have been canceled and schools have kept children locked in during recess for two weeks.
Hanover County, Virginia, announced that schools in Ashland and elsewhere in the county would be closed on Monday in response to the shooting. Schools in Richmond, the capital of Virginia, and two other nearby counties were also closed.
Oh well, now I know why people were so hysterical in the "Son of Sam" days in NYC.
nut
Poor woman is confused... gone fishing... toys in the attic.
If somebody shot my spouse, I'd pray the shooter gets testicle cancer!
Likely because it is one lone nut shooter who blends in and not an Al Qaeda terror cell. With the way people are freaking out, Middle Easterners - especially several - would stand out rather well. Oh! That's right! I forgot! Those who are adamant for Al Qaeda suspects say it could also be a group of non-Middle Eastern Muslims. (Sarcasm) Right, that would be more likely than a single home grown nut.(/Sarcasm)
Speculation on talk radio this morning was that it was a pay phone which could be called from another pay phone without a trace...but I would think with all the technology available, the phone company could trace that type of call as long as they had "isolated" the receiving number...are there any phone company people here on FR that could clarify this?
Perhaps the police expect that the shooter will be so busy dialing and re-dialing the number trying to not get a busy signal, that he won't have the time to shoot anyone else?
;-)
She is a Christian. She is not confused. She understands God's love, grace and mercy toward those who hate him. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it.
Cordially,
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