Another life taken in VA

[Guest HBK16]

FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) - A woman was killed outside a Home Depot store Monday night, and police were trying to determine whether the shooting was related to the sniper spree responsible for eight deaths in the region in the past 12 days.

 

``A female has been shot and killed,'' said Fairfax County Police Lt. Amy Lubas. The woman was felled by a single shot at about 9:30 p.m., authorities. All the other deaths were also caused by one shot.

 

A police spokesman said roads were being closed in the area, about 10 miles west of Washington, D.C. The Maryland task force investigating the sniper attacks was conferring with Fairfax authorities to see if Monday's victim was the sniper's ninth.

 

Virginia State Police said they were on the lookout for a white Chevrolet Astro van, last seen traveling east on Route 50 from Falls Church. Interstates 66 and I-95 are nearby. Witnesses at some of the earlier shootings said a white van or truck left the scene.

 

The Home Depot is in the Seven Corners Shopping Center, a 450-thousand-square-foot strip shopping center with a parking garage. The center also has a grocery store, an electronics retailer and a pet supply retailer.

 

The body of the victim lay under a sheet is in the parking lot in front of the Home Depot, on the first floor of a two-story structure, 30 yards from the store entrance.

 

Kristin Reed, a supervisor at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in the sprawling strip mall, said six employees were locked inside the store with an FBI agent.

 

``Cops and cops and more cops,'' Reed said of the scene outside. ``There's a lot of people walking around.''

 

Reed said no one heard the shot inside her store. But ``a customer had just walked outside, then came back in and said `I think I heard a shot.'''

 

The federal agent in the bookstore ``hasn't said anything to us. He was on the phone with someone,'' she said.

 

Earlier Monday, the longest lull yet in the Washington sniper's killing spree brought little relief as jittery residents flooded police with calls upon hearing car backfire, firecrackers or breaking glass.

 

``Everyone is edgy,'' said Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose, who is heading the investigation. ``People are hearing things that may normally be overlooked.''

 

President Bush said the ``cold-blooded'' attacks have made him sick to his stomach. ``I weep for those who have lost their loved ones,'' he said. ``The idea of moms taking their kids to school and sheltering them from a potential sniper attack is not the America that I know.''

 

Four police squad cars rushed to a Silver Spring car dealership Monday after the window of a customer's BMW shattered when he closed the door. The man dialed 911, thinking a bullet broke the glass.

 

``He had no idea what happened - he was just freaked out,'' said David Earhardt, the dealership's service manager.

 

``People hear a noise, they're going to call - they want to put an end to this just like we do,'' said Prince William County, Va., Detective Dennis Mangan, whose department brought in a helicopter to search the woods before determining a reported gunshot was just a car backfiring.

 

Authorities in Baltimore, meanwhile, seized a white van and found an assault rifle, sniper manual and ammunition similar to the .223 bullets used in attacks that have killed eight people and wounded two others, WBAL-TV reported.

 

MSNBC reported that a tarot card was found in the van and a sign on the dashboard read ``Gihad in America.'' A tarot card was also found at one of the shootings.

 

The van's owner was being questioned by police Monday night.

 

``At this time, the task force believes this is not related to our sniper incidents,'' said Louise Marthens, a Montgomery County police spokeswoman.

 

Monday marked the sniper's longest break - two days and counting - since the killing spree began on Oct. 2. The sniper has shot 10 people in all. The eighth and latest killing came Friday morning when a 53-year-old Philadelphia man was gunned down in Spotsylvania County, Va., as he pumped gas. The killer has now gone two straight weekends without an attack.

 

Profilers say the long break could suggest the sniper is trying to outsmart police and change routine.

 

``Falling into a pattern is falling into a trap,'' said Robert K. Ressler, a former FBI profiler who helped investigators track killers such as Jeffrey Dahmer. ``People this deep into aberrant behavior aren't just going to hang it up and call it quits. A week may go by now before they strike again, but I believe there are going to be more killings.''

 

Monday was Columbus Day, a holiday for the many federal workers in the Washington area. By midday, none of the thousands of calls received by police were related to the sniper attacks. But as people went about their daily errands, many felt it was only a matter of time.

 

``He's luring people into being confident again,'' said Betty Charlton, who shopped with a friend at a Rockville shopping center.

 

With a new regional task force operating in the Washington area, authorities can immediately shut down roads and highways at the slightest possibility of a sniper shooting.

 

A 17-mile section of the Capital Beltway in Maryland was closed over the weekend after a woman was shot by an unidentified attacker. State troopers kept a vigil at the Woodrow Wilson Bridge over the Potomac River until it was determined the shooting was unrelated.

 

Many schools remained under lockdown Monday, meaning outdoor recess and physical education classes were canceled, and students were kept indoors all day.

 

In Fredericksburg, Va., a field hockey game was canceled at James Monroe High School. Monday night's rescheduled homecoming game was still on, but moved to a nearby rural county where there have been no shootings.

 

``I'm looking around for every white van I see,'' said Richard Spears, who was mowing grass at the school. ``It makes you a little leery.''

 

Composite drawings of the white box truck that the killer is believed to be using have ``yielded good results,'' Moose said.

 

Also, Moose said people can now write as well as call with their tips. He gave an address: P.O. Box 7875, Gaithersburg, Md., 20898-7875.

 

Federal and local investigators refuse to discuss any details of the manhunt. But they have logged some consistencies: the killer favors suburban gas stations; takes down each victim with a single bullet; and, judging from the tarot card left at one of the shootings, appears to enjoy taunting police. It read: ``Dear Policeman, I am God.''

 

``I think this person is waiting for an opportune moment,'' said Navy chaplain Jane Vieira, who mailed a letter Monday at a Rockville shopping mall. ``He is taking precautions. This guy isn't stupid.''

[Guest HartFan86]

I really hate to say something like this but good god this guy has a shot. He needs to be stopped though.

[Guest wwF1587]

this is soo unreal...i still cant believe this is happening..

[Guest Cancer Marney]

I went for a walk earlier today and everyone was talking about it on their cellphones. They were all saying the same thing. "I can't believe it." "Jesus, no." "God, this can't be happening."

Sadly, it is. We need to find this bastard and give him a one-way ticket to the electric chair, ASAP. Anyone still oppose the death penalty? No? Good.

[Guest DARRYLXWF]

I oppose the death penalty

[Guest EricMM]

Again and again and again and again and again and again and again and AGAIN this person has killed!

 

It seems that if this guy doesn't make a mistake, we'll NEVER find him.

 

I don't like to think that way, but with the same thing happening every day, with nothing happening, it's very disheartening to say the least.

 

I take some reassurance that at this guy's current rate he's still not likely to ever get to me. But the numbers aren't that helpful for the 11 people that got shot, they had the 1 in 100000 or however many people in the DC Metropolitan area chance, and got shot. It won't happen to me is the cowards solution. I wish there was something I could do, but I didn't see any of the murders

 

Hey for everyone who lives in the DC area, just... I mean, I just hope you all stay safe and this never happens to ANYONE again. And I hope they find him. As a Silver Spring/College Park person, and as someone who likes to bop around DC when I can, this is not cool. I guess just try to stay in populated areas, and walk on busy streets.

[Guest DrTom]

We need to find this bastard and give him a one-way ticket to the electric chair, ASAP.

I disagree.

 

We need to find this bastard and shoot him when he is found. Shoot him, shoot him, shoot him, and shoot him some more. Shoot him until his own mother has to put her glasses on and squint to recognize him. He's a dangerous sociopath with an assault rifle and a dozen murders to his name, so I doubt the law enforcement officers who find him would have to convince anyone that he was about to use his rifle on them.

 

Save tax dollars and just shoot the fucker.

[Guest Slapnuts00]

Well, as someone who lives in Montgomerry County and is scared to leave my house, I'm becoming more and more anxious as is eveyone else I talk to. I'm beginning to think it's gonna be long time before they get this guy. In response to Dr. Tom, actually I don't want them to kill him (unless he truly is about to harm someone) or have him kill himself (which I beliuve is what will happen), since I feel everyone in this area deserves some closure, and explenation. I want to know who this guy is and why the hell he did this. Then send him to die.

[Guest DrTom]

He did it because he's a remorseless sonofabitch.

 

Shoot him. That's all the closure anyone needs.

[Guest Invader3k]

He doesn't deserve to be shot. He deserves something worse, like maybe being disembowled and having his entrails lit on fire while he's still alive.

[Guest J*ingus]

He deserves to be shot... one bullet each through the elbows, knees, hands, feet, spinal cord, penis, and testicles. Then ship his crippled ass to prison for a life sentence. And then right before he dies of old age, electricute him.

[Guest Leena]

What explanation? Anyone who kills innocent people is mentally unstable.

 

I'd go with a public beheading for this sicko.

[Guest DragonflyKid]

I continue to be shocked that he has evaded capture for so long. With law enforcement everywhere and everyone on a high state of alert it amazes me this guy/guys are still on the loose.

 

It doesn't seem to be a result of law enforcement incompetence, it just seems this guy has it all planned out and maybe has luck on side so far.

 

He has done exactly what he wanted, he has terrorized a large part of the population. If he wanted to kill as many people as possible he could have done it in other ways. This guy purposely is playing a game, it's not about the # of victims shot and killed, it's about how many people are scared to leave the house every morning. I do predict he will be dead within a week, his luck just has to run out.

[Guest EricMM]

But like now, he's gone maybe farther than he originally intended. I mean I thought it would have been crazy if he shot a cop, but it turns out this recent victim worked for the FBI.

 

In theory every American citizen receives the same protection, but damn, this has to make some people even madder!!

[Guest DragonflyKid]

I doubt it can make people madder, everyone is a citizen first, they are probably mad enough that their families,friends and them themselves are potential targets. Losing one of their own will make little difference, especially for the fact that the women who was shot was shot not because she worked for the FBI but because she was being an ordinary civilian doing ordinary things.

[Guest EricMM]

I'm totally not trying to imply that the FBI treats their own better, but damn. If someone shot my co-worker I'd be a lot more up in arms. And this is the FBI!

 

But you're right, maybe noone can get any madder!

[Guest Cancer Marney]

No.

 

We can.

[Guest Samurai_Goat]

All right, this is what we do to the shooter (we don't know yet if it's male, even though it is likely, but until then, I'm straying from the obvious genitalactic punishments. However, I'll refer to the shooter as male, simply because I think saying "the shooter" 27 times would be tedious): We give him the Phantasmagoria 2 treatment. We spike his hands into a wall, spread out. Then we take a staple gun, and staple his mouth shut. Then we disembowel him, and spread his guts all over the room. Now, that all happened in a video game, but in real life, we'd have more fun, maybe slitting his throat, and stuffing his organs down through the convenient new orifice. That, and we laminate him, and pin him to the top of a huge flagpole over the white house. Then, after a little while, we take him down, give him a stern talking to, and sentence him to 100 years in prison. But his laminated behind would only get to stay in the solitary confinement cells of other prisoners. Think of it, 24 hours a day sitting next to a disemboweled, laminated corpse. Of course, we give him a chance for parole. I mean, it’s only fair.

[Guest DragonflyKid]

No just kill him and get it over with, you can torture the fucker all you want but the second he finally does die all his pain will become nonexistent and what is left is people who went insane and ended up becoming disturbed themselves. All the fantasies of torturing someone who deserves it are natural, actually going through with them takes a person who themselves through shock and torment have become unstable.

[Guest DrTom]

No, you can't torture him. Whatever he's done, this is still the United States, and we don't torture people, no matter how evil and fuckheaded they may be. Having him shot by the police/FBI will be good enough.

 

BTW, I'm very much in favor of things like public beheadings and hangings. However, I'd hate to think we wasted any tax dollars putting this sick fucker on trial. Shoot him he doesn't have enough muscle mass left to twitch and be done with it.

[Guest The Czech Republic]

I recommend death by public hanging.

 

Or if we're really cruel, we say "Hey, what's that up in that tower there?" and then BAM! we shoot him in the face with a sniper rifle.

[Guest SP-1]

I think the people that he shoots amount to people that just get in the way of his bullet.

 

I think he's demented. He gets off on toying with police. On being uncatchable. If it isn't Al Qaeda (and I'm not sold that it isn't), and hitting the FBI lady wasn't planned (under the cover of random acts, it's pretty smart really), then he's just randomly F'ed himself on this one.

 

I know, I probably sound insanely pissed about this. And I am pissed, but I think my wording makes it seem worse. And I'm not paranoid or anything with terrorism, but I can make sense of it being terror related, and it being random. I'm open to either scenario ultimately.

 

But I do think he likes being untouchable. I think he loves the mind games with the Police. I also think he killed a woman working on the federal level. And somehow, I don't think the FBI is going to handle it lying down, whether or not it was random.

 

If the cops do find him in the act of targeting a new victim, I don't doubt there'd be a fire fight. And I don't doubt he'd be taken out in a body bag.

[Guest Akeem]

People SHOULD NOT be afraid. You are more likely to die in a car accident than to be shot by the sniper. Just do not challenge the sniper (like by saying while being interviewed for TV, that the sniper "wouldn't dare" shoot anyone at a certain location. The sniper obviously does not like our society and how our people think. He might hate our society for legit reasons, and feels this is the best and easiest way to tell the whole country about why our society is not good. The people he is killing are collateral damage to him, in order for him to get publicity, he has to do the random killings.

Why should we care about the random victims he kills? We shouldn't. The police shouldn't care either, because the sniper is hardly making an impact on the Washington DC area (in terms of killing people per population). They are wasting their time on this case. The sniper shooting story is intriguing and is great for ratings. The sniper should not be punished for what he did (if he ever gets caught which is unlikely to happen), but rewarded for increasing the ratings so much. If anyone deserves to be punished, it is the police for wasting so much time on this case.

 

So what do you guys think of my thoughts?

[Guest DrTom]

So what do you guys think of my thoughts?

I think you're an imbecile.

 

The police are wasting their time? The sniper shouldn't be punished? We should only care about murders when they make a sizeable dent in the population? We shouldn't care about the people he's killed?!? Those ideas are too stupid and contemptible for words.

 

Go back to talking about wrestling if that raft of shit is all you can contribute.

[Guest Cancer Marney]

Tom beat me to it.

[Guest EricMM]

People SHOULD NOT be afraid

 

Ummmmmm.... no.

 

You are more likely to die in a car accident than to be shot by the sniper.

 

So? See, one of these things is an ACCIDENT. One of these things is an act MURDER. There is a difference!

 

The sniper obviously does not like our society and how our people think. He might hate our society for legit reasons, and feels this is the best and easiest way to tell the whole country about why our society is not good. The people he is killing are collateral damage to him, in order for him to get publicity, he has to do the random killings.

 

If I disliked our society, I would change it through political means. This sniper is killing people. Do you know the difference? That's right kids, this sniper is IN-SANE. PSY-CO. There are NO legit reasons for shooting innocent people. None at all.

 

Why should we care about the random victims he kills? We shouldn't.

 

Do you think before you post? Oh sure, they were just murdered horribly? Who cares? It wasn't me or mine, and it probably never will be! La la la!

 

Listen Akeem, I dunno if you're from the area or not, but 9 people have been killed by one man. This is not going to depopulate DC or anything, but that doesn't matter. What does matter is that you are acting like we should ignore murderers because they do not directly affect us. You are saying these things because you are off your fucking rocker. Or stupid. Or the sniper. Are you the sniper?

 

 

The police shouldn't care either, because the sniper is hardly making an impact on the Washington DC area (in terms of killing people per population). They are wasting their time on this case.

 

Oh, so you ARE off your fucking rocker. See last time I checked, one murder was more than enough to get the police to care. I mean, I really don't know what you're thinking at this point.

 

The sniper should not be punished for what he did (if he ever gets caught which is unlikely to happen), but rewarded for increasing the ratings so much. If anyone deserves to be punished, it is the police for wasting so much time on this case.

 

See, the only other idea I might have is that you are perhaps a troll. Are you trolling? Are you insinuating that people in charge of TV would rather see 11 people shot to increase ratings than not? You're insinuating that they are evil people, and you are ignoring the fact that the most evil person in this is CLEARLY the sniper, my god you're stupid. And the police are wasting time by trying to catch a 9 time murder?

 

Riiight...

 

So what do you guys think of my thoughts?

 

You are a troll right? I mean, otherwise... I mean jeez. Yuck. That anyone could think this is just yuck. You're disturbing.

[Guest Akeem]

>The police are wasting their time? The sniper shouldn't be punished? We should only care about murders when they make a sizeable dent in the population? We shouldn't care about the people he's killed?!?

 

The police shouldn't care unless someone is taking out MANY more people a week than just 3 or 4. If some guy took out 5000 a week (hypothetical example), then the police SHOULD stop this guy, because NOW the odds are decent enough that there is a decent chance he could take out a random victim at an important event (football game for instance). And if that happened, they would have to cancel the important event and lose a TON of money.

I already answered why the sniper shouldn't be punished in my earlier post and why we shouldn't care about the random victims he's killed.

[Guest EricMM]

So like, you're serious?

[Guest DrTom]

The police shouldn't care unless someone is taking out MANY more people a week than just 3 or 4.

Hello, McFly! Killing people is AGAINST THE FUCKING LAW. That means, when someone kills people, the police are obligated to search for that person and try to stop them. What percentage of the population that boils down to doesn't mean jack shit.

 

If some guy took out 5000 a week (hypothetical example), then the police SHOULD stop this guy...

Well, only about 3000 perished on September 11th. Should we not go after the guilty because it wasn't a big enough dent in the population? Hell, NY has eight million people... what do they need 3000 of them for? Even better: not all of them were Americans, so we only lost about 2500! Yay! Thanks, Usama, for trimming the population and boosting the TV ratings! Christ on a cracker, your ideas are so warped and contemptible that I don't think even blatant mockery can convey my sheer disgust.

 

there is a decent chance he could take out a random victim at an important event (football game for instance).

There's a decent chance RIGHT NOW that he could take out a random victim anywhere. What the hell do "important events" have to do with this. It doesn't matter if someone got killed pumping gas, in a Home Depot parking lot, or at the 50-yard line of FedEx Field. The point is that people are dying and it is the job of law enforcement to find the guilty.

 

And if that happened, they would have to cancel the important event and lose a TON of money.

Heaven forbid the Redskins game gets postponed or the Rolling Stones have to reschedule because some idiot was inconsiderate and selfish enough to get shot in the head... First it was TV ratings, and now it's the potential cancellation of important events. I'm sorry we keep inconveniencing the sniper by living our lives, but we're just going to keep doing that. I'm not even going to get into your farcical "point" about event revenues being more important than American lives.

 

I already answered why the sniper shouldn't be punished in my earlier post and why we shouldn't care about the random victims he's killed.

You did? Let's see...

The sniper should not be punished for what he did (if he ever gets caught which is unlikely to happen), but rewarded for increasing the ratings so much.

That's what you said. That's not an answer; it's a ridiculous attempt to defend the indefensible. Who gives a shit about TV ratings? Since when did the fucking national news outlets run this country and decide who gets punished? RATINGS?!? You're talking about RATINGS when people are getting blown away just for standing in a convenient spot? How could you be so fuckheaded? Who cares how many people are watching CNN? This is a murder spree which is against the fucking laws that are designed to protect ignorant fuckheads like you. Be glad we have dedicated men and women in law enforcement who are working overtime and putting their waking hours into this investigation.

 

If anyone deserves to be punished, it is the police for wasting so much time on this case.

It's their job, you sick, revolting cretin. They catch people who break the law. It's really simple, which means even you should be able to grasp it, so I don't see why you're having so much trouble with this.

 

As for your "opinion" as a whole... Words haven't been invented yet that properly describe what a filthy, worthless subhuman piece of shit I think you are. You're as much a waste of sperm and egg as the sniper is.

[Guest DrTom]

An interesting IM I just received...

 

Kabal29 (2:55:33 AM): hi

Kabal29 (2:55:37 AM): sorry about that

Kabal29 (2:55:45 AM): those aren't really my thoughts

EntropyAD (2:55:54 AM): What?

Kabal29 (2:55:57 AM): i just wanted to see how people would reply to them

Kabal29 (2:56:03 AM): instead of just saying the usual rhetorical stuff

Kabal29 (2:56:09 AM): from the message board

EntropyAD (2:56:17 AM): I see.

Kabal29 (2:57:15 AM): sorry if i offended you

EntropyAD (2:57:33 AM): Trolls always offend me.

EntropyAD (2:57:41 AM): But never for very long.

 

We all know what happens to trolls around here.