Sniper Shootings

[KickChick]

Many of us in the States (specially in the DC area) are well aware of the recent sniper shootings.

 

Today, Army planes with high-tech surveillance equipment are preparing to take to the skies around the nation's capital to help track a sniper who has eluded law enforcement officials for two weeks. An unknown sniper or snipers has launched a series of 11 random rifle attacks in 13 days that has killed nine people and seriously wounded two others. All but one of the attacks have been in neighboring suburbs in Maryland and Virginia. One was just inside Washington at the Maryland border.

 

 

 

Here are the details:

 

Details on shootings in suburban Washington, D.C. --5:20 p.m. Oct. 2: Windows shot at craft store in the unincorporated Aspen Hill area of Montgomery County, Md. No one hurt. --6:04 p.m. Oct. 2: James D. Martin, 55, of Silver Spring, Md., killed in grocery store parking lot in Wheaton, Md. (Montgomery County) --7:41 a.m. Oct. 3: James L. ``Sonny'' Buchanan, 39, of Arlington, Va., killed while cutting grass at an auto dealership in unincorporated White Flint area. (Montgomery County) --8:12 a.m. Oct. 3: Taxi driver Prem Kumar Walekar, 54, of Olney, Md., killed at gas station in Rockville, Md. (Montgomery County) --8:37 a.m. Oct. 3: Sarah Ramos, 34, of Silver Spring killed outside post office in Silver Spring. (Montgomery County) --9:58 a.m. Oct. 3: Lori Ann Lewis-Rivera, 25, of Silver Spring slain as she vacuumed her van at a gas station in Kensington, Md. (Montgomery County) --9:15 p.m. Oct. 3: Pascal Charlot, 72, of Washington, D.C., killed while standing on a Washington street. --2:30 p.m. Oct. 4: 43-year-old woman wounded in craft store parking lot in Fredericksburg, Va. (Spotsylvania County) --8:09 a.m. Monday: 13-year-old boy wounded as he is dropped off at school in Bowie, Md. (Prince George's County) --8:15 p.m. Wednesday: Dean Harold Meyers, 53, of Gaithersburg, Md., killed at gas station in Manassas, Va. (Prince William County) --9:30 a.m. Friday: Kenneth H. Bridges, 53, of Philadelphia, killed at a gas station in Fredericksburg. --9:15 p.m. Monday: Woman shot and killed at Home Depot store in Falls Church, Va.

 

A tarot card was found near the Bowie shooting of a 13-year-old boy . It was a tarot "death" card on which was written: "Mister Policeman, I am God."

 

So that makes 9 fatalitities / and 11 sniper shootings.

 

9/11 any correlation?? Do you believe there will be more?

 

20th Century Fox is delaying the release of its thriller "Phone Booth" because of the deadly sniper terrorizing the Washington area.

 

The movie, starring Kiefer Sutherland, was to open November 15th.

 

It's about people being pinned down in a phone booth by a gunman they can't see.

[LeaF]

There is obviously some sick psycho out there. I don't think there is any connection to 9/11 and I believe these attack will continue until the culpret is arrested. It appears the sniper(s) are making small mistakes, there were witnesses at the last murder I believe. Hopefully (s)he will continue to make mistakes that will lead to their arrest.

[Jade_Lotus]

I agree with leaf..there is no connection to 9/11. I believe that the sniper had every intention of killing all 11 victims. He will continue until he is either caught or he gets bored.

[three60roundhouse]

Jade_Lotus, most serial killers don't get bored with what they are doing. If the sniper was doing things for a political reason, there would be a more distinct pattern, and perhaps more messages left for the police about his mission. Most serial killers who have "missions" or reasons to kill will try to communicate with the public or the police. My guess is that this guy kills because he enjoys doing it. He will not stop until caught, but the killings are in such rapid succession that he has to have made a mistake or two that will be caught up on. As far as being sighted and leaving the tarot card, I think that may have been intentional on his part. Many serial killers don't like the public's perceptions of them (in the media and stuff) and try to "reveal" themselves either to the victim's families (much like Albert Fish, a serial killer from the 1920'3 who wrote a long gruesome letter to the parents of one of his victims), or to the police (like David Berkowitz, the Son of Sam, who wrote a letter rersponding to the police's statement about the killer's hatred towards women. The leter began, "Dear Captain Joseph Borrelli, I am deeply hurt by your calling me a wemon hater.") Contrary to the insinutations of the name, "serial killers" often actually choose their victims very carefully and methodically days, weeks, or even months before killing them. Serial killers who truly do kill randomly and for no apparent reason are spree killers. The biggest mistake this killer can make is trying to reveal himself more by leaving another "note" to the police. These are just my opinions.

[G95champ]

My bet is it has ties to Iraq and 911.

[Northren Ogre]

Nah, this reeks of a domestic type terrorist. I've noticed that the domestic terrorist tries to be sneaky and underhanded and attempt to outsmart law enforcement, keeping their identity hidden, where international terrorists seem almost eager to claim responsibility for their actions........just an observation.

[omnifinite]

I don't think he has a cause or a message. I think he's just doing something he enjoys doing. But that isn't very interesting.

 

I saw a news reporter ask someone involved with the investigation if he thought the sniper was choosing gas stations because it related to oil issues in Iraq. For a second the guy just looked at him funny. Correlations and political statements make for better stories. Better stories is what gets the ratings (especially if they can find a way to play the 9/11 card).

 

The sniper fuels the media. The media fuels public fear. Public fear fuels the sniper. And so on.

 

I guess the only way to do my part in breaking the cycle is to leave the house and continue on unhindered. As always I have a much better chance of getting hit by a car than a bullet. It's not much, but the more people who do it the less satisfaction he gets.

 

On a lighter note...

 

http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php3?date=2002-10-15&res=l

[kchenault]

Contrary to the insinutations of the name, "serial killers" often actually choose their victims very carefully and methodically days, weeks, or even months before killing them. Serial killers who truly do kill randomly and for no apparent reason are spree killers.

 

Three60, the "Serial" in serial killer refers to the fact that some M.O. can be attributed to this one killer. Much like serial numbers. the killers rack up victims. Sometimes they have something in common, sometimes they don't. Son of Sam used an unusual .44 caliber pistol. He used this one five shot gun for every murder he commited. And he usually attacked people in sets of two. Just to clarify.

[BlueDragon1981]

I to do not think this is related to 9/11. Maybe someone who saw how easy it is to annoy the US but not directly related. Probably just some pysco who can't deal with American Politics.

[Ahazmaksya]

Do you think there might be more than 1 sniper?