| Submit your comments on this article |
| Home Front |
| More on the shooter... |
| 2002-10-16 |
| Police have gotten conflicting witness descriptions of the Beltway Sniper and have so far been unable to compile a reasonable composite sketch of the man who has killed nine people and wounded two others. Maybe it's more than one guy? Because of distance, darkness and other factors, Fairfax County Police were unable to come up with a definite description of the killer based on interviews with witnesses to the most recent shooting, which occurred Monday night in Falls Church, Va. That's why one day he was olive-complected and the next he was fair, then went back to being olive... Capt. Nancy Demme of the Montgomery County Police said a witness to Monday night's parking-lot shooting was firmly convinced that the sniper used an AK-47, but she said that doesn't mean the witness couldn't be mistaken. "The only common denominator right now is male," Demme said. An AK is a fairly distinctive-looking shootin' arn, but I guess if you've no experience with guns they all kinda look alike... The Beltway Sniper left behind more than shell casings at the scenes of his two latest attacks — there were several solid eyewitnesses who said they saw his face and his license plate. If they need somebody to show them how to do a pull on their database to grab partial plate numbers and filter them by vehicle make and color, I'll be happy to help them personally. I suspect they don't need my help, though — but if I'm wrong, just leave a note. In another development, the Pentagon agreed to provide aerial surveillance in the hunt for the sniper, who has now killed nine people in the Washington, D.C., area, and injured two. I'm afraid that's a symbolic gesture. I'll be surprised if anything comes of it... At least one witness saw a male sniper aim and fire, then flee in a van, The Washington Post reported Wednesday, citing anonymous law enforcement sources. One witness reported seeing a white male on Friday, but many others said they saw an olive-skinned man, definitely of the "Hispanic or Mid-Eastern type," but not African-American. Eyewitnesses testified that on Friday: -- one individual thinks he/she saw one white maleEyewitnesses testified that on Monday night: -- two individuals think they saw an olive-skinned maleThe consensus would appear to be at least one olive-skinned fellow, doesn't it? And maybe more than one — a shooter/spotter team... Officials have not been able to rule out the possibility of terrorism, or that a two-person team, consistent with military training, might be involved. I thought we had here, but it's an idea that seems to keep coming back. If it is, they're smarter than the average crazed killers, and pretty effective. Possibly they intend to claim credit when they're back safe in Iraq or Peshawar or Ain el-Hilweh... |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #2 A cop once told me that the only thing worse than one eye-witness is another eye-witness... |
| Posted by: Tresho 2002-10-16 17:05:15 |
| #1 Montgomery County Police Capt. Nancy Demme said one witness told police the shooter used an AK-74 rifle to kill 47-year-old FBI analyst Linda Franklin on Monday night outside a Falls Church, Va., Home Depot store."The witness firmly believes this is the weapon," Demme said. "But we have to keep in mind that weapons are interchangable, like vehicles." Not if your ballistics tests keep showing the same gun killed each person. AK-74 is the .223(5.56) version of the AK-47, a very rare weapon in the States. A lot of the Taliban in Binny's home movies carried them, not that there is any terrorist connection here, nope, none. |
| Posted by: Steve 2002-10-16 14:36:45 |