Beltway Sniper Shootings-FR Commentary-Wed., Oct. 23,2002

Fox News, CNN, Press Conferences | October 23, 2002 | Fox News, CNN, Press Conferences

[Peach]

Let's keep a live commentary thread going again today. The FBI Tip Line #1-888-324-9800.

All seems quiet since yesterday's news the shooter may target children specifically. It was released on various news outlets the shooter's 3-page letter to police was in broken English and threatened extreme violence. Police announced an electronic transfer of $10m as requested by the shooter was not possible but other options for transfer remain open. No one seriously believes police will actually give the shooter $$, but police are trying to keep a dialogue open with the shooter in an effort to capture this monster.

[tomkat]

I'd like to see the shooter's body separated ...

preferably via ropes tied to pickup bumpers - slowly ...

[slimer]

several witnesses got a good look at the shooter, according to CNN's sources with LEO's

Good morning Peach. John Walsh was on LK last night and he said that the among the several witnesses to the Home Dept shooting, each one gave a distinctly different account which left LE with very little credible information.

[stlnative]

Good Morning Everyone...

Up until last night I was thinking this may or could be a non-american, possibly a terrorist import. But after reading this article Angry Missive Complains of 'Ignored' Calls I truly believe that if the things written in this article are true, this is an american home grown nut case. Several factors in the letter have me believing this...

A terrorist would demand more money than 10 million. A terrorist would not have kept track of the names of the tipline people answering the phones who ignored him and report this in a letter to police. A terrorist would have not had the problems that this guy is having about getting his point across and to the police.

Also the money request is a front for the sniper, he is not interested in the money and is using this as reason to justify his killings. He knows the money is not going to be paid out and he will this fact as an excuse to kill more people. He is trying to make the cops look paid and like they are not working with him and the cops are going to stall him as long as they can and will continue to play his game until he slips up or until they figure out a way to capture him after a shooting. The killing of the bus driver back in the area that is suppose to be under recon plane watch was a test to see if he could get away with it and to see if the planes did picked up his body heat or gun fire. Of course he did escape. I believe he picked early morning because he knew it would take them longer to get everyone organized and out of bed that early in the morning, I think it took 20 minutes for them to get the area completely blocked off yesterday. He probably was on foot yesterday. I think the police are getting closer to him and are stalling and hoping they can keep him talking to them without him killing again.

[Peach]

Second letter from shooter found yesterday at 1:00 p.m. in the woods near the bus stop.

[harpseal]

I presume with your binge shopping you will doing the Sniper shuffle to and from your car.

I will give someone a hug today.

Stay well - Stay safe - stay armed - Yorktown

[Catspaw]

Yup--the grandiose thinking, the omnipotence, antisocial personality (sociopath), along with the psychotic behavior. That's our guy.

And it could apply equally to either domestic or foreign, but his use of idiom (if the Washington Post is correct, the "shut up and listen" is one example) makes me think it's domestic, or at least someone who was raised here who may have sympathies with one of our enemies.

[OReilly]

Second letter from shooter found yesterday at 1:00 p.m. in the woods near the bus stop.

Does the 1:00 pm time surprize anyone?

[Peach]

The line forms around the states of Maryland and Virginia, but heh, I'm sure we can pass the residency test.

[wewillnotfail]

I agree with your opinions of our enemies. But I ask you to just consider something else.

The practice of cursing is widespread in certain cultures. It thrives on the willingness of people to attribute power to it. Someone lays a curse on a person. It's necessary that the person be aware that he has been cursed so that he will tend to attribute every thing that goes wrong in his life to the curse. His old car finally dies...it's the curse. He can no longer get to work so he is fired, it's th curse. He has no income so his wife leaves him, it's the curse. And so on.

Do you see the similarities? By attributing these murders to AQ, or AT, without any real, factual evidence that they are responsible, you are empowering them, just as the 'cursed' man empowers the concept of the curse by blaming his woes on the curse.

AQ and it's alligned terrorist are determined enough. They don't need us stoking their reputations by giving them "credit" for that which they may not be responsible for.

[ZinGirl]

Another spree coming with multiple hits?

possibly....except that it won't be nearly as easy as it was that first 'glorious' day of his. we're aware now.....we weren't that first day. it won't be impossible, though.....sadly.

I'd like to see the shooter's body separated into 20 body bags - that works for me.

ditto, ditto, and ditto again!

thanks, again, Peach, for your work on these threads.

[Peach]

I'd like to know whether all the witnesses said the shooter had dark skin, but witnesses couldn't agree on less key areas like shape of face, etc. John Walsh knows the answer to that probably.

[tomkat]

gotta scoot, but will be back later, just like a bad cold.

if anyone has an addy, maybe these threads oughta be forwarded to the Moose.
might help him and his co-cogitators avoid this:

[jrhepfer]

Good points. But on thing that sticks in my craw is the fact that the Pentagon has authorized the use of several, published and unpublished, surveilance aircraft. I used to work for a company that outfitted these aircraft and know that video surveilance is only half of their game. They have significant CommInt/ElInt capabilities as well.

It just gives me the heebie-geebies a little. I can't imagine that the Pentagon would throw that kind of hardware into the fray if we were talking about a nutball with a pea shooter. Bet your bottom dollar that it is costing millions to have these eagle-eye's looking about for one man.

It just doesn't jive with me.

[spodefly]

Good list, MM. I have been back and forth on the subject. I have actually hoped that it was anything other than a 'white male with a gun', mainly because of the political hay that the gun grabbers will make of that. But my wishful thinking does not make it any less possible.

At this point in time, I am still undecided.

The sad fact is that this is a case study for any enemy, whether they are directly responsible for this incident or not. Combine a concerted 'anthrax attack' thru the mail system with several snipers in major cities, and you will pretty effectively shut down the country, and do so with minimal costs and effort. There may be less 'bang' in that approach than in leaving a bomb in a stadium or something, but it is cost effective, and psychologically terrorizing. I am sure this approach is now in the play book of Iraqi agents, AQ and symps.

[Freedom2specul8]

"Sniper shuffle"

Good one.. :)

[The Red Zone]

The ElInt makes sense; they would want to catch any communication he might try to make by cell phone.

The Feebs can't let this go unanswered. Even if this is a domestic nut case, there is too much of a potential that it will embolden "real" terrorists (al Qaeda variety).

[looney tune]

I think the police are getting closer to him and are stalling and hoping they can keep him talking to them without him killing again.

I hope you're right. But I'm not so sure they're getting any closer. The sniper is always 2 days ahead of LE. He shoots, it takes 2 days to process the crime & crime scene - in the meantime he's scoping out his next place of attack. While LE is looking back, the sniper is looking ahead.

[DC native]

I agree with you....to me, as a parent, that would be the real definition of gut-wrenching terrorism. I also think $10 million sounds like pocket change for an organized terrorist group, but not for a domestic kook.

[Freedom2specul8]

I posted this on the other thread too, but what the heck. I think you've hit the nail on the head. A real terrorist wouldn't give authorities a chance to comply with anything. They would just make their hits until they die for doing it. It's all about dying for allah and getting 7 virgins.

[slimer]

use of idiom the "shut up and listen"

Good point. A ME type would say something like, "stop talking and do what I say" or "you do not talk to me, I am the one talking" or "vye dun't choo leesen ven I talking to choo?" ;)