Topic: - on October 15, 2002 at 6:07:45 PM CEST
Washington sniper Overview
The Sacramento Bee -- sacbee.com -- Sniper may revel in media spotlight, experts
say
Published in Sacramento
Bee
By EUN-KYUNG KIM, Associated PressPublished 6:53 a.m. PDT Tuesday,
October 15, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) - The only predictable thing about the elusive
sniper - or snipers - terrorizing the Washington area is the unpredictability
of the crimes. The 11 apparently random victims were male and female; old and
young; black, white, Hispanic and Asian. The shootings have occurred in the morning
and at night. Four were at gas stations, but the crime scenes also have included
a sidewalk bench outside a post office and strip mall parking lots.
The Sacramento Bee -- sacbee.com -- Latest sniper shooting yields better clues
Published in Sacramento
Bee
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) - An FBI terrorism analyst was identified
Tuesday as the ninth person killed by the Washington-area sniper, shot in the
head in an attack investigators say has yielded the most detailed clues yet. For
the first time, witnesses were able to give information about license plates on
vehicles seen fleeing the scene, including a light-colored Chevrolet Astro van
with a burned-out rear taillight. A law enforcement official, speaking on condition
of anonymity, said another witness gave a description of a dark-skinned man, possibly
Hispanic or Middle Eastern, in a white van.
The Sacramento Bee -- sacbee.com -- Pentagon to help in hunt for D.C.-area sniper
Published in Sacramento Bee
Pentagon to help in hunt for D.C.-area sniper By PAULINE JELINEK,
Associated PressPublished 3:40 p.m. PDT Tuesday, October 15, 2002 WASHINGTON
(AP) - Authorities called in the military on Tuesday to help solve the 2-week-old
sniper case that has left nine people dead and terrorized the capital area.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld agreed Tuesday evening to the FBI's request
to use military surveillance aircraft in the hunt for the killer, said Lt. Cmdr.
Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman.
The Sacramento Bee -- sacbee.com -- Friends, co-workers call sniper victim 'courageous'
Published in Sacramento
Bee
Friends, co-workers call sniper victim 'courageous' By MATTHEW
BARAKAT, Associated Press Published 6:09 p.m. PDT Tuesday, October 15, 2002
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) - Linda Franklin had beaten breast cancer, raised two children
and a niece practically by herself and was expecting her first grandchild in
just a few months. She was looking forward to moving this week into a bigger
home. The 47-year-old FBI intelligence specialist was gunned down Monday night,
the ninth victim killed by the Washington-area sniper.
BBC
NEWS | World | Americas | Snipers sow fear and panic
Published in BBC
News
In November 1990, a 21-year-old hunter, Jamie Paxton, was found
dead in a forest in southern Ohio. He had been shot three times. There were
no witnesses. His mother, Jean, began a letter-writing campaign, using the local
press to try to contact her son's killer. Eventually, she received a reply.
Gun lover "I am the murderer of Jamie Paxton. Jamie Paxton was a complete stranger
to me," the letter said. He had shot Jamie, the killer wrote, because of an
irresistible compulsion that had taken over his life.
BBC
NEWS | World | Americas | Panic grips Washington
Published in BBC
News
Police sealed off the area after the shooting, hoping to catch
the shooter. But he - or she - slipped through the dragnet once again. Meanwhile,
residents try to carry on with life as normal but are finding it increasingly
difficult as people continue to die as they go about their daily routine. White
van The sniper had already killed seven, and police responded to the latest
shooting with increased urgency. Click here to see the sniper's trail On Saturday,
they concluded that "ballistics evidence has conclusively linked the shooting
to the other shootings", bringing the total to eight.
OpinionJournal
- Scene & Heard
Published in Opinion
Journal
Slipping Appeal What is it about Colin Powell that drives Harry
Belafonte bananas? BY COLLIN LEVEY Thursday, October 17, 2002 12:01 a.m. EDT
Here's to Harry Belafonte for coming through when we all really needed him.
The impending battle with Iraq is stressful, there's a sniper stalking the Washington
area, summer is over. For moments like these we pay our top entertainers so
gloriously--they go well with beer, make us laugh and distract us from the world.
Just like a trouper, Mr.
ABCNEWS.com
: Cameras Abound, But Can They Catch the Sniper?
Published in ABC
News.com
A Mathematical Method to Locate Killers In the Washington, D.C.,
area since September 11th, that's especially true. Security cameras abound that
are capable in a time of crisis of providing sophisticated, cutting-edge video
surveillance. They can gather details as small as license plates and can isolate
individual faces in a crowd. "If we see anything in particular we have an interest
in or suspicious we can take control of that camera and then zoom in," said
Stephen Gaffigan of the Washington, D.C., Police Department. Big Brother is
certainly watching — so could the serial sniper's identity already be
locked on a videotape?
ABCNEWS.com
: Is Sniper a New Breed of Serial Killer?
Published in ABC
News.com
New Fatal Shooting in Va.; Van Sought Tarot Misunderstanding
in Shooting Case? Experts: Sniper May Be Challenging Cops Timeline of 11 D.C.-Area
Sniper Attacks Scared Parents Collect Kids After Shooting A Mathematical Method
to Locate Killers "This guy is unique," said James Alan Fox, a professor of
criminal justice at Northeastern University in Boston. Fox said he's never seen
a killer quite like this one in his studies. "Most serial killers care about
the particular people they slay." This killer doesn't care about the 11 people
who have been shot, Fox said. "They're just targets.
ABCNEWS.com
: No Common Thread in Sniper Descriptions
Published in ABC
News.com
Sniper Search Intensifies Police Response Sniper Strikes Again
Inside the Hunt COMMUNITY D.C.-Area Shootings: What's the Motive? RELATED STORIES
Timeline of 11 D.C.-Area Sniper Attacks How to Be a Better Eyewitness "There
are a couple of people who believe they saw a man shoot, but unfortunately because
of darkness, distance and perhaps excitement and adrenaline at the time, we
have been unable to come up with a composite that we can disseminate," Montgomery
County, Md., police spokeswoman Capt. Nancy Demme said today. "The only common
denominator so far is male," Demme said.
Salon.com
News | Spy planes to help find sniper
Published in Salon.com
Army planes with high-tech surveillance equipment were preparing
Wednesday to take to the skies around the nation's capital to help track a sniper
who has eluded law enforcement officials for two weeks. The planes were being
flown to the region and were expected to join the hunt within days, a defense
official said Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity. Authorities called
in the military Tuesday to help solve the baffling case that has left nine people
dead and terrorized the capital area, leaving people afraid to go out of their
homes. Defense Secretary Donald H.
Salon.com
News | New clues found in sniper hunt
Published in Salon.com
The Washington-area sniper's latest slaying has yielded the most
detailed clues yet in the search for the elusive killer: information about license
plates and the description of a man in a white van seen fleeing the attack.
In another development, the Pentagon has agreed to provide aerial surveillance
in the hunt for a sniper who has terrorized the Washington, D.C., suburbs for
the past two weeks, killing nine and injuring two. The new clues surfaced in
the Monday night slaying of FBI employee Linda Franklin after she and her husband
loaded their purchases from a Home Depot into their car.
CNN.com
- Filmmaker Michael Moore takes on America's gun culture - Oct. 16, 2002
Published in CNN
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The search for the D.C.-area sniper has thrust
the issue of gun control into the political spotlight. Filmmaker Michael Moore
takes an uncompromising look at America's gun culture in "Bowling for Columbine."
In it, Moore goes after the NRA, Charlton Heston and the Kmart that sold the
bullets to the killers responsible for the Columbine High School massacre. He
stepped into the "Crossfire" with hosts Paul Begala and Tucker Carlson to talk
about Columbine, his new movie and the sniper attacks. BEGALA: ... I love your
economic populism.
TIME.com:
TIME COVER: THE SCIENCE OF CATCHING A KILLER
Published in Time
Sunday, Oct. 06, 2002 TIME COVER: Inside the Sniper Manhunt (p.
30) The FBI has asked the Pentagon to search its records for recently discharged
GIs who had gone through sniper school, federal law enforcement sources tell
TIME. The schools teach snipers to work in tandem - one as the spotter, the
other as the shooter. Nearly 1,000 people are working on the case, including
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms units, U.S. Marshals and local police.
The FBI.
TIME
Magazine: How Science Solves Crimes
Published in Time
By Amanda Ripley | Washington Posted Sunday, Oct. 13, 2002; 10:31
a.m. EST Pay attention, profilers have long warned, to a serial killer's first
strike. The first of the bullets that strafed the suburbs of America's capital
last week sliced through the air over a drab strip-mall parking lot in Aspen
Hill, Md., and cracked a nickel-size hole in the front window of a Michaels
craft store. It then arched through a leafy display of silk autumnal bouquets,
zipped behind the head of a female cashier and pierced a hole through the lamp
over the register of lane No. 5.
TIME
Magazine: How Science Solves Crimes
Published in Time
At the scene of the boy's shooting, police stumbled upon a trove
of clues. A matted area in the brush opposite the school suggested the sniper
had lain in wait for his victim. Police also found a tarot "death" card with
the message, "Mister Policeman, I am God." The card, which may turn out to be
a prank by someone familiar with the Vietnam War habit of leaving this calling
card on the bodies of Viet Cong, was sent to the feds to be analyzed for fingerprints
and DNA. The card, it would later be disclosed, also contained a request not
to tell the media about its existence.
sunspot.net - maryland news
Published in Baltimore
Sun
For the first time since the Washington-area sniper slayings
began, more than one witness saw a man fire and flee in a white van, but investigators
said today that none of the witnesses got a good enough look to yield a sketch.
"There are a couple of people who believe they saw a man shoot -- unfortunately
distance and darkness and perhaps adrenaline have made them unable to give a
clear composite that we can disseminate," Montgomery County Police Capt. Nancy
Demme said.
Witness
sure he saw Soviet-style rifle
Published in Baltimore
Sun
As investigators sort through conflicting witness statements
about vans, trucks, facial characteristics and possible accom plices associated
with the area's serial sniper, most have turned out to be too vague to publicize.
But Monday's attack netted a seemingly solid lead -- a witness says he's sure
that the gunman used an AK-74 assault rifle to kill 47-year-old Linda Franklin
outside the Home Depot store in Falls Church, Va. That observation, if true,
raises more puzzling questions about the serial sniper and his methods.
sunspot.net - maryland news
Published in Baltimore
Sun
Severna Park goalkeeper Scott McGuire was supposed to walk his
parents onto the soccer field to celebrate Senior Night yesterday and then take
on rival South River. Instead, he helped friends with a yearbook assignment,
studied for a marine biology test and then got an early jump on some college
essays. McGuire said he learned about 1:30 p.m. yesterday that all after-school
activities in Anne Arundel County had been postponed because of the sniper shootings
that have killed nine, injured two and altered daily life throughout the Baltimore
and Washington areas for two weeks.
sunspot.net - maryland news
Published in Baltimore
Sun
WASHINGTON - The sniper shootings have cast the politics of gun
violence onto the national scene, sending Congress scrambling to address a fiercely
partisan issue that has become a focus of the election season. The House unanimously
passed a widely popular gun safety measure yesterday that aims to close loopholes
in the federal system that screens prospective gun buyers.
sunspot.net - maryland news
Published in Baltimore
Sun
One was a Rockville man who disappeared two days before the sniper
attacks began. He had recently purchased a .223-caliber rifle, and he drove
a white van with a ladder on top. A recovering drug addict, he had recently
accumulated large debts. Another was a former Marine from Baltimore with a white
Chevrolet Astro van whose enthusiasm for firearms was shared by his girlfriend.
Investigating the couple after a domestic shooting, police found several guns
and other tantalizing clues: a manual for snipers and a misspelled note declaring
"Gihad in America.
sunspot.net - maryland news
Published in Baltimore
Sun
The latest victim of the Washington area's elusive gunman was
awaiting the birth of her first grandchild and preparing to move into a new
home when she was fatally shot Monday night outside a Home Depot store in Falls
Church, Va. Linda Franklin, 47, an FBI intelligence analyst, was a "loving wife
and mother who watched out for everyone in her family," said a family spokesman,
Bill Murray. "The Franklin family is devastated by this tragic event and shocked
by this senseless loss of life.
Evidence
builds in hunt for sniper
Published in Baltimore
Sun
The Washington-area sniper's most recent strike appears to have
left police with the most promising clues yet, including descriptions from witnesses
of a Soviet-style assault weapon, the shooter and the getaway van, but officials
said Wednesday that they still could not put a face on the killer. Without enough
detail to create a composite sketch to show the public, the long standoff continued
between the serial sniper terrorizing the suburbs around the nation's capital
and hundreds of federal agents, state police and local detectives working to
solve a case attracting worldwide attention.
The Sacramento Bee -- sacbee.com -- ANALYSIS: Lack of pattern frustrates sniper
search
Published in Sacramento
Bee
By P. MITCHELL PROTHERO, United Press InternationalPublished
6:31 a.m. PDT Tuesday, October 15, 2002 WASHINGTON (UPI) - Twelve shots, nine
dead and two badly wounded in the 12 days, three hours and fifty-five minutes
between the first shot - which harmlessly shattered a craft store window - and
the death of a 47-year-old intelligence analyst in a parking lot on Monday.
With law enforcement officers from five local police departments, 400 FBI agents,
Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms specialists and even the Secret Service actively
investigating, there is a more intensive focus on this case than any other Washington
manhunt in recent memory.
The Sacramento Bee -- sacbee.com -- Sniper may revel in media spotlight, experts
say
Published in Sacramento
Bee
By EUN-KYUNG KIM, Associated PressPublished 6:31 a.m. PDT Tuesday,
October 15, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) - The only predictable thing about the elusive
sniper - or snipers - terrorizing the Washington area is the unpredictability
of the crimes. The 11 apparently random victims were male and female; old and
young; black, white, Hispanic and Asian. The shootings have occurred in the
morning and at night. Four were at gas stations, but the crime scenes also have
included a sidewalk bench outside a post office and strip mall parking lots.
The Sacramento Bee -- sacbee.com -- Profiles of D.C.-area sniper victims
Published in Sacramento
Bee
Profiles of D.C.-area sniper victims The Associated PressPublished
6:31 a.m. PDT Tuesday, October 15, 2002 (AP) - The nine people killed in the
Washington-area sniper shootings: - James Martin, 55, of Silver Spring, Md.
Killed Oct. 2. A Vietnam veteran and program analyst for the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration. His father died when he was 8, and he worked
his way through college. Martin had an 11-year-old son and was a Boy Scout leader,
school volunteer and church trustee. - James L. "Sonny" Buchanan, 39, of Abingdon,
Va. Killed Oct. 3.
The Sacramento Bee -- sacbee.com -- Bush administration considers terrorism
as possible sniper motivation
Published in Sacramento
Bee
Bush administration considers terrorism as possible sniper motivation
By EUN-KYUNG KIM, Associated Press Published 6:31 a.m. PDT Tuesday, October
15, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) - Absent hard evidence about motivation, the Bush administration
is considering the possibility that foreign or domestic terrorists are behind
the sniper slayings of nine people in and around the nation's capital. Homeland
Security Director Tom Ridge said Tuesday that investigators are hesitant to
rule out any possibility. "Under these horrific circumstances, you don't want
to draw any premature conclusions," he said.
The Sacramento Bee -- sacbee.com -- Friends, co-workers call sniper victim 'courageous'
Published in Sacramento
Bee
Friends, co-workers call sniper victim 'courageous' By MATTHEW
BARAKAT, Associated Press Published 6:31 a.m. PDT Tuesday, October 15, 2002
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) - Linda Franklin had beaten breast cancer, raised two children
and a niece practically by herself and was expecting her first grandchild in
just a few months. She was looking forward to moving this week into a bigger
home. The 47-year-old FBI intelligence specialist was gunned down Monday night,
the ninth victim killed by the Washington-area sniper.
The Sacramento Bee -- sacbee.com -- Pentagon to help in hunt for D.C.-area sniper
Published in Sacramento
Bee
Pentagon to help in hunt for D.C.-area sniper By PAULINE JELINEK,
Associated PressPublished 6:31 a.m. PDT Tuesday, October 15, 2002 WASHINGTON
(AP) - Authorities called in the military on Tuesday to help solve the 2-week-old
sniper case that has left nine people dead and terrorized the capital area.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld agreed Tuesday evening to the FBI's request
to use military surveillance aircraft in the hunt for the killer, said Lt. Cmdr.
Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman.
The Sacramento Bee -- sacbee.com -- Latest sniper shooting yields better clues
Published in Sacramento
Bee
By ALLEN G. BREED, Associated Press - (Published October 15,
2002) FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) - An FBI terrorism analyst was identified Tuesday
as the ninth person killed by the Washington-area sniper, shot in the head in
an attack investigators say has yielded the most detailed clues yet. For the
first time, witnesses were able to give information about license plates on
vehicles seen fleeing the scene, including a light-colored Chevrolet Astro van
with a burned-out rear taillight.
BBC
NEWS | Americas | US sniper probe seeks suspect truck
Published in BBC
News
The image of the white box truck is based on information gleaned
from several witnesses who reported seeing a similar vehicle driving erratically
at the scene of more than one of the shootings. Earlier the authorities confirmed
that a man shot in the Washington area on Friday was the eighth person to die
at the hands of a serial sniper. Kenneth Bridges was killed by a single bullet
as he was filling his car at a petrol station near Fredericksburg, Virginia,
about 40 miles (60 kilometres) south of Washington.
sunspot.net - business
Published in Baltimore
Sun
Details of 12 sniper shootings, including nine fatalities, in
Maryland, the District of Columbia and Virginia, according to police. 1. At
5:20 p.m. on Oct. 2, a bullet pierced a window at Michaels craft store at 13850
Georgia Ave. in the Aspen Hill area. No one was hurt. 2. At 6:04 p.m. on Oct.
2, James Martin, 55, is killed in the parking lot of Shoppers Food Warehouse
grocery store in Wheaton. Martin, a Civil War buff and an amateur genealogist,
was a program analyst for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
3. At 7:41 a.m. on Oct. 3, James L.
sunspot.net - business
Published in Baltimore
Sun
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 at a Home
Depot parking garage in Falls Church, Va. Police said the weapon can fire the
.223-caliber round recovered from some of the shooting scenes. "The witness
firmly believes this is the weapon," Demme said. "But we have to keep in mind
that weapons are interchangable, like vehicles.
sunspot.net - business
Published in Baltimore
Sun
Fear and wariness about the Washington-area sniper are slowly
creeping into the books of some local businesses and attractions as would-be
customers - particularly children - stay inside or stay home. Tour bus companies
say business is down because schools and corporate groups are canceling outings
near Washington or anywhere else perceived as within the sniper's range. Local
attractions such as the Maryland Science Center, normally teeming with field-trippers,
are uncharacteristically calm. Security companies, meanwhile, say business is
up, as merchants and schools try to restore a sense of safety.
sunspot.net - tv & media
Published in Baltimore
Sun
Late Monday night, reporters found themselves forced to pivot
on the fly as a sniper striking anew in the suburbs of Washington knocked the
foundation out from under an apparent scoop. The day started with near-saturation
coverage of no news - apparently no one had been shot by the sniper over the
weekend. The cable news channels carried the now-familiar news conferences that
gave reporters little real information. Late Monday afternoon, two Baltimore
stations reported that a 38-year-old former Marine had drawn the intense interest
of law enforcement officials. It turned out that the man interrogated by police
wasn't the sniper.
Boston.com
/ Latest News / Washington / Pentagon to use high-tech surveillance equipment
to help hunt sniper who has terrorized capital
Published in Boston
Globe
Pentagon to use high-tech surveillance equipment to help hunt
sniper who has terrorized capital By Associated Press, 10/16/2002 16:21 WASHINGTON
(AP) The Pentagon is planning to send up a number of planes with high-tech surveillance
equipment to help track a sniper in the Washington area who has eluded law enforcement
officials for two weeks while killing nine people and injuring two more. The
number of planes, exactly what high-tech capabilities they bring to bear, and
when and where they would fly were not being released to withhold such details
from the sniper, officials said.
Mercury
News | 10/15/2002 | DNA evidence does not match Zodiac suspect
Published in BayArea.com
DNA evidence does not match Zodiac suspect SAN FRANCISCO (AP)
- The one suspect investigators had in the Zodiac killings of the late 1960s
does not match DNA evidence, a newspaper reported Tuesday. Traces of saliva
gathered from the cryptic letters the killer sent to police do not match the
DNA of the late Arthur Leigh Allen, Vallejo police inspector Kelly Carroll told
the San Francisco Chronicle. Allen was the sole suspect named in the serial
killings that terrorized the San Francisco Bay area in the 1960s. ``Arthur Leigh
Allen does not match the partial DNA fingerprint developed from bona fide Zodiac
letters,'' he said.
Sniper
on a killing spree in Washington : HindustanTimes.com
Published in Hindustan
Times
Washington, October 16 The killing of a 47-year-old woman in
a parking lot on Monday evening brought to nine the number of people shot dead
by a sniper with a high velocity rifle, spreading fear in normally tranquil
Washington suburbs. Police have linked the same weapon to the nine deaths and
the wounding of two others in a series of attacks that began on October 2. Each
person was hit with a single bullet fired in public places, all but two of them
in broad daylight. None of the victims appeared to know each other. Following
are details of the shootings released by police: WEDNESDAY OCT. 2 5:20 p.m.
Boston.com
/ Latest News / Washington / The suddenness and shock of sniper attacks make
eyewitness accounts unreliable
Published in Boston
Globe
By Ron Kampeas, Associated Press, 10/17/2002 01:31 WASHINGTON
(AP) The suddenness of the sniper attacks terrorizing suburban Washington and
the shock of seeing people killed are why witnesses have been unable to come
up with a solid description of the attacker, experts say. Witness accounts are
distorted by fear and by the tendency of bystanders to focus immediately on
the victim, allowing the shooter crucial seconds to disappear. ''The normal
reaction to fear is not one of becoming a really good, attentive eyewitness,''
said Gary Wells, an Iowa State university psychologist who has studied witness
testimony for 25 years.
DallasNews.com
| Dallas-Fort Worth | News: DMN Stories
Published in Dallas
Morning News
Sniper suspected in Virginia death Woman shot while loading car;
police swarm surrounding roads 10/15/2002 The New York Times ROCKVILLE, Md.
– A woman was fatally shot in the head Monday night outside a suburban
Virginia store, sparking a frantic highway dragnet for the roving sniper who
until Monday had killed eight people in the Washington area in the last two
weeks.
DallasNews.com
| Dallas-Fort Worth | News: DMN Stories
Published in Dallas
Morning News
A law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity,
said another witness gave a description of a dark-skinned man, possibly Hispanic
or Middle Eastern, in a white van. Also for the first time, witnesses were able
to give information about license plates on vehicles seen fleeing the scene,
including a light-colored Chevrolet Astro van with a burned-out rear taillight
and a roof rack. Police released two composite images of a van that witnesses
say they saw Friday near a Spotsylvania County, Va., gas station where a Philadelphia
man was fatally shot.
DallasNews.com
| Dallas-Fort Worth | News: DMN Stories
Published in Dallas
Morning News
Registry to trace gun 'fingerprints' debated 10/16/2002 By MICHELLE
MITTELSTADT / The Dallas Morning News WASHINGTON – The sniper shootings
that have shaken the Washington region also are shattering the relative quiet
on the gun policy front. Since Al Gore's loss of the 2000 presidential election
was chalked up in part to his support for gun control, national politicians
have shown little appetite for the issue.
DallasNews.com
| Dallas-Fort Worth | News: DMN Stories
Published in Dallas
Morning News
The average American is caught on camera eight to 10 times a
day, law enforcement officials say. If that statistic is right or even close,
"it would seem a pretty good chance that the killer would probably be on a camera
somewhere," said Dave Lang, a video forensics expert at Veridian Corp. in Arlington,
Va., which works with law enforcement agencies. Finding video footage of the
sniper would be a big help for investigators, who so far have only been able
to piece together the most basic details on the sniper. "The only common denominator
thus far is male," Capt. Demme said. "We don't have a refined description to
go by.
statesman.com | Life
Published in Austin
American Statesman
Sniper Attacks Prompt Movie's Delay By ANTHONY BREZNICAN AP Entertainment
Writer LOS ANGELES (AP)--With a deadly sniper terrorizing the suburbs of the
nation's capital, 20th Century Fox has decided to delay the release of a thriller
about people being pinned down in a phone booth by a gunman they can't see.
``Phone Booth,'' starring Kiefer Sutherland as the shooter, was to open Nov.
15. But the studio postponed its release after a sniper killed nine people in
suburban Washington, D.C., said Flo Grace, a 20th Century Fox spokeswoman. A
new opening date has not been set.
statesman.com | Life
Published in Austin
American Statesman
LOS ANGELES (AP)--With a deadly sniper terrorizing the suburbs
of the nation's capital, 20th Century Fox has decided to delay the release of
a thriller about people being pinned down in a phone booth by a gunman they
can't see. ``Phone Booth,'' starring Colin Farrell as the shooter's target,
was to open Nov. 15. But the studio decided to delay its release after a sniper
killed nine people in suburban Washington, D.C., said Flo Grace, a 20th Century
Fox spokeswoman. A new opening date has not been set.
AP
Wire | 10/15/2002 | Military joins hunt for sniper
Published in BayArea.com
FALLS CHURCH, Va. - An FBI terrorism analyst was identified Tuesday
as the ninth person killed by the Washington-area sniper, shot in the head in
an attack investigators say has yielded the most detailed clues yet. With the
terrifying spree nearly two weeks old, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld
agreed Tuesday evening to provide military surveillance aircraft in the hunt
for the killer, a Pentagon spokesman said. Sources said federal agents on the
plane will relay any information they collect to authorities on the ground.
The Army also has started searching its records for people with sniper training.
KRT
Wire | 10/16/2002 | Despite eyewitnesses, no composite of sniper
Published in BayArea.com
BY KEN MORITSUGU AND TONY PUGH Knight Ridder Newspapers ROCKVILLE,
Md. - (KRT) - Hope turned to disappointment in the Washington sniper investigation
Wednesday as police revealed that eyewitness accounts from the latest shooting
weren't good enough to provide a solid description of the shooter. At least
two people had reported seeing a man gun down Linda Franklin Monday night in
the parking lot of a Home Depot in the Washington suburb of Falls Church, Va.,
authorities said. The 47-year-old FBI employee was the ninth person killed in
a two-week spree in the Washington area that also wounded two others.
KRT
Wire | 10/15/2002 | Sniper's latest victim identified; police gather more clues
Published in BayArea.com
FALLS CHURCH, Va. - (KRT) - A cancer survivor and mother of two
who worked as an FBI analyst was tallied Tuesday as the ninth person killed
in 13 days by a serial sniper as police gained new clues in their quest to end
a ghostly killer's reign of suburban terror. Like the sniper's other victims,
Linda Franklin, 47, apparently was selected at random and was going about the
business of everyday life when she was felled by a single bullet late Monday.
She was with her husband, loading packages into her car in a Home Depot parking
lot here about 9:15 p.m. EDT, when the sniper shot her once in the head, police
said.
Reuters
Wire | 10/15/2002 | Police Say 9th Murder by Sniper Gave Clues
Published in BayArea.com
FAIRFAX, Va. - Police said on Tuesday new evidence gleaned from
the ninth murder by a sniper in the Washington area gave them the best chance
yet of catching the serial killer whose latest victim was shot dead while loading
her car with shopping bags. FBI employee Linda Franklin, 47, was killed in front
of her husband by a single shot to the head late on Monday in the parking lot
of a Home Depot hardware store in Falls Church, Virginia.
Contra
Costa Times | 10/15/2002 | Frenzy follows new Virginia shooting
Published in BayArea.com
ROCKVILLE, Md. - A woman was fatally shot in the head Monday
night outside a suburban Virginia store, unleashing a frantic highway dragnet
for the roving suburban sniper who previously killed eight people in the Washington
area in the last two weeks. There was no official confirmation that the shooting
was the work of the sniper, but police proceeded on the assumption that it was.
They broadcast a lookout alarm for someone in flight, brandishing a semi-automatic
weapon and driving a white van similar to the one sought in the earlier shootings.
Mercury
News | 10/15/2002 | Another killing in D.C. area
Published in BayArea.com
FALLS CHURCH, Va. - A woman was fatally shot Monday night outside
a Home Depot store in an attack that appeared similar to those carried out by
a sniper who has been linked by police to eight killings in the Washington,
D.C., region since Oct. 2. The shooting Monday occurred about 9:15 p.m at the
Seven Corners Shopping Center, which is bounded by major northern Virginia traffic
arteries, and it prompted police to set up checkpoints on principal roads for
miles around. Traffic was jammed on many highways.
World:
Experts Discuss Link Between Bali, Yemen, And Kuwait
Published in Radio
Free Europe
U.S. President George W. Bush and Indonesia's defense minister
have both said they think there is a link between the Al-Qaeda terrorist network
and the Bali bomb attacks that killed more than 180 people during the weekend.
Bush says there appears to be an emerging pattern of concerted terrorist attacks
which include the Bali blasts, the attack on a French oil tanker off the coast
of Yemen, and recent attacks on U.S. Marines in Kuwait. RFE/RL correspondent
Ron Synovitz takes a closer look at suggestions that the world is in the midst
of a new wave of global terrorism. Prague, 15 October 2002 (RFE/RL) -- U.S.
President George W.
YellowTimes.org
Article
Published in YellowTimes.org
By Paul Harris YellowTimes.org Columnist (Canada) (YellowTimes.org)
– Because of the recent spate of seemingly random assassinations in the environs
of Washington D.C., we will surely hear and see editorial pieces trying to drum
up support for tougher gun legislation in the United States. Well, this is not
one of them. What would be the point? Everyone must realize by now that America
has a love affair with violence and it is definitely not unrequited. Let me
say from the outset that I am a pacifist.
KRT
Wire | 10/14/2002 | Sniper takes second week off, leading to speculation of
work-week schedule
Published in BayArea.com
Sniper takes second week off, leading to speculation of work-week
schedule BY SHIRA KANTOR Chicago Tribune WASHINGTON - (KRT) - A second quiet
weekend passed in the deadly shooting rampage that has gripped the Washington
area as speculation mounted that the sniper, who seems to favor certain suburban
locations, also favors a work-week killing schedule. Anxiety ran high Monday
morning, with many residents fearing the sniper's return after a Saturday and
Sunday without incident. But by the end of the day - which, as Columbus Day,
marked the end of a three-day weekend - no killings were reported.
KRT
Wire | 10/15/2002 | Sniper attacks return focus to national gun policy
Published in BayArea.com
WASHINGTON - (KRT) - The sniper shootings that have shaken the
Washington region also are shattering the relative quiet on the gun policy front.
Since Al Gore's loss of the 2000 presidential election was chalked up in part
to his support for gun control, national politicians have shown little appetite
for the issue. But with suburban Washingtonians fearful that they may wind up
in the sniper's crosshairs, proposals to create a national ballistic fingerprint
system to help law enforcement trace shell casings or guns found at crime scenes
are gaining new attention.
KRT
Wire | 10/15/2002 | Profile of elusive killer became slightly clearer with latest
killing
Published in BayArea.com
WASHINGTON - (KRT) - If there is any hint of a pattern to a series
of sniper attacks that have terrorized the Washington suburbs, it is that the
shooter may be growing more daring, leaving tantalizing clues, and choosing
targets that carry heightened risk of capture. On Monday night, the sniper fired
into a parking garage at a busy Home Depot in Fairfax County, Va., killing a
47-year-old FBI analyst who was shopping with her husband. It was a brazen act
that quickly touched off a massive dragnet. Police unleashed bloodhounds, blocked
off intersections, and scoured the area in helicopters and cruisers.
Reuters
Wire | 10/15/2002 | Bush Administration Cool to 'Fingerprinting' Guns
Published in BayArea.com
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration on Tuesday brushed aside
calls for "fingerprinting" firearms in response to a string of sniper attacks
in the Washington area, saying it may not be a reliable way to identify shooters
and could undermine the rights of law abiding gun owners. "New laws don't stop
people like this," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said of the sniper, who
has killed nine people in two weeks. "What we must do is ... enforce the laws
we have so that people who commit crimes, especially crimes with guns, will
be fully prosecuted and serve time.
Reuters
Wire | 10/15/2002 | House OKs Bill to Improve Gun Background Checks
Published in BayArea.com
WASHINGTON - Under a shadow cast by the Washington sniper, the
U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a bill to make background
checks for gun purchases more effective at weeding out disqualified buyers.
The legislation, which passed on a voice vote, had strong backing from both
pro- and anti-gun control factions and was scheduled for a vote and likely passage
even before the spate of sniper shootings claimed nine lives in the Washington
area. Similar bipartisan legislation is pending in the Senate.
Reuters
Wire | 10/15/2002 | Bush Admin. to Study 'Fingerprinting' Guns
Published in BayArea.com
WASHINGTON - Reacting to a deadly series of sniper killings in
the Washington area, the White House on Tuesday asked federal law enforcement
officials to determine whether "ballistic fingerprinting" technology would be
an effective crime fighting tool. The White House appeared to have a change
of heart about the issue after hours earlier expressing doubts about the reliability
of such technology and saying it could undermine rights of law abiding gun owners.
The system uses markings from bullets and shell casings like fingerprints to
link specific handguns with gun crimes.
AP
Wire | 10/15/2002 | Sniper Victim Said Courageous
Published in BayArea.com
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) - Linda Franklin had beaten breast cancer,
raised two children and a niece practically by herself and was expecting her
first grandchild in just a few months. She was looking forward to moving this
week into a bigger home. The 47-year-old FBI intelligence specialist was gunned
down Monday night, the ninth victim killed by the Washington-area sniper. She
was felled by a single shot to the head as she and her husband, Ted, were loading
their red convertible with items for their new home.
AP
Wire | 10/15/2002 | Pentagon to Help in Hunting Sniper
Published in BayArea.com
Pentagon to Help in Hunting Sniper PAULINE JELINEK Associated
Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - Authorities called in the military Tuesday to
help solve the 2-week-old sniper case that has left nine people dead and terrorized
the capital area. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld agreed Tuesday evening
to the FBI's request to use military surveillance aircraft in the hunt for the
killer, said Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman.
AP
Wire | 10/15/2002 | Bush Opposes Gun 'Fingerprinting'
Published in BayArea.com
SANDRA SOBIERAJ Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - President
Bush does not support the recent days' push for firearms "fingerprinting" that
has grown from the Washington-area sniper shootings, a spokesman said Tuesday,
saying Bush is unconvinced of the technology's accuracy and is concerned about
gun owners' privacy. Besides, added White House press secretary Ari Fleischer,
when it comes to new gun controls generally, "how many laws can we really have
to stop crime, if people are determined in their heart to violate them no matter
how many there are or what they say?
AP
Wire | 10/15/2002 | House Passes Background Check Bill
Published in BayArea.com
House Passes Background Check Bill JESSE J. HOLLAND Associated
Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - With a sniper roaming the Washington suburbs,
the House on Tuesday passed without dissent a bill authorizing $1.1 billion
in federal funds to help states computerize criminal records so they can be
used in background checks on gun buyers. Lawmakers acknowledged they don't know
if the bill might have prevented the sniper shootings over the past two weeks
in the Virginia and Maryland suburbs of the nation's capital. "We do know that
10,000 illegal buyers got a gun because of faulty records," said Republican
Rep.
AP
Wire | 10/15/2002 | Bush doesn't support firearms `fingerprinting'
Published in BayArea.com
SANDRA SOBIERAJ Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - President
Bush does not support the recent days' push for firearms "fingerprinting" that
has grown from the Washington-area sniper shootings, a spokesman said Tuesday,
saying Bush is unconvinced of the technology's accuracy and is concerned about
gun owners' privacy. Besides, added White House press secretary Ari Fleischer,
when it comes to new gun controls generally, "how many laws can we really have
to stop crime, if people are determined in their heart to violate them no matter
how many there are or what they say?
smh.com.au
- Killer's face may be known to police
Published in The
Sydney Morning Herald
SMH Home | Text-only index Killer's face may be known to police
Date: October 15 2002 By Bob Dart in Washington By asking people to "keep the
faith", investigators hunting the sniper who has shot 10 people in 10 days have
indicated that they know more than they are revealing. Montgomery County police
chief Charles Moose, who said it was "a fine balance" in deciding what to tell
the public without tipping off the killer, was coy when asked if investigators
had witnesses' descriptions of the sniper or pictures of him from surveillance
cameras. The sniper left eight people dead and two wounded between October 2
and October 11.
Pravda.RU
The DC Sniper Nest: None Dare Call it Terrorism
Published in Pravda
Prince William County Schools: . No outdoor after-school activities
Monday or Tuesday Spotsylvania County Schools: . Outdoor activities canceled
Stafford County Schools: . Outdoor activities canceled Not bad for eleven rounds.
Anyone want to take a guess how many of these students are children of federal
employees? Now, let your brain spin. Here's a federal government planning for
war, importing and exporting no goods on its western flank, and with a market
in a steady freefall, and yet to even submit a budget this fiscal year. But
none of that will be on their minds when they wake up - only: who's next?
Boston.com
/ Latest News / Nation
Published in Boston
Globe
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- Authorities raised the reward to $500,000
for catching a sniper responsible for 10 attacks in the Washington area, as
they confirmed Saturday that an eighth death had been conclusively linked to
the killer. Ballistic evidence in the shooting of a 53-year-old businessman,
hit once in the back as he stood at a gas station Friday, showed Kenneth Bridges
was the latest victim in a two-week shooting spree, Spotsylvania County Sheriff's
Maj. Howard Smith said.
Web's
the place for office folks
Published in Media
Life
Just over a year ago, the nightly news seemed timely enough to
catch up with the day’s events. It is no longer. It now seems that each hour
brings new developments on bombings, sniper shootings and a potential war with
Iraq. So it's not surprising that an increasing number of Americans are logging
on to the web from work to catch the latest developments. What is is surprising
is that five news and information sites are now dominant among at-work internet
users, in terms of reach, with another 10 sites representing a second tier.
HoustonChronicle.com
- Pitts: Reminder of life's random cruelty too close for comfort
Published in Houston
Chronicle
There were other reasons, of course, but when I moved my family
to Prince George's County in Maryland a few years back, one of the things I
looked forward to was living among the trees. There was something about them
that fostered a sense of well-being. I enjoyed the sense of remove that came
from wandering country lanes winding lazily through the forest. Seven years
later, much of the forest is gone, victim of the nation's crying need for more
Blockbusters and Radio Shacks. And suddenly, much of that sense of remove is
gone as well, victim of a man -- almost certainly, a man -- with a high-powered
rifle.
world.scmp.com
- South China Morning Post online brings you the latest headlines and breaking
news from around the world
Published in South
China Morning Post
"She was pronounced dead at the scene," a police spokesman said.
Witnesses were able to provide the licence plate numbers of vehicles seen leaving
the scene, Fairfax County police chief Tom Manger said. He gave few details,
but it was clear that witnesses gave investigators more information than after
any of the other shootings. Mr Manger declined to confirm reports about a description
of a possible suspect, saying only that several people contacted police after
the shooting and that investigators were still interviewing them. "We have been
receiving quite a bit of information," he said.
Boston.com
/ Latest News / Nation
Published in Boston
Globe
GAITHERSBURG, Md. -- Linda Gowling pulled up to the gas pump
at a Texaco station near Interstate 270 and hopped out. She eyed a nearby stand
of trees, then grabbed the nozzle and filled her tank. "It's a bit scary, with
the woods around here," she said. Drivers took a hard look around before they
filled their tanks Friday after a series of sniper shootings in suburban Washington,
D.C. Two victims were shot from afar as they stood at gas pumps. Another was
killed while she used a gas station's coin-operated vacuum to clean her minivan.
Boston.com
/ Latest News / Nation / Washington-area communities increase patrols, fearing
they could be sniper's next target
Published in Boston
Globe
By David Dishneau, Associated Press, 10/12/2002 15:35 ROCKVILLE,
Md. (AP) As the sniper slayings terrorizing the Washington area have spread
beyond the suburbs, so has the radius of law enforcement agencies preparing
for the next strike. Police chiefs in Maryland and Virginia communities up to
40 miles from the nearest connected shooting have beefed up patrols, approved
overtime in advance, canceled leaves and installed extra phone lines.
Mercury
News | 10/12/2002 | Authorities release images of white truck believed used
by sniper
Published in BayArea.com
ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) - Investigators hunting a sniper responsible
for 10 attacks released their first wanted poster -- composite images of a white
box truck -- after authorities confirmed today that an eighth death was linked
to the killer. The images are the first of any kind to be released in association
with a killer who has been stalking suburban Washington areas and targeting
victims apparently at random. More than a week after the shootings began, a
massive task force of county, state and federal officers still won't say if
they know who they're looking for, or even if the sniper is acting alone.
Mercury
News | 10/12/2002 | Feeling nightmare draw near
Published in BayArea.com
Jim Puzzanghera says anxiety hangs over the nation's capital,
again plagued by terrorism. The preschool in northern Virginia that my two young
sons attend is located in a spot that until 10 days ago seemed picture-perfect
-- nestled in deep woods at the end of a rolling, quarter-mile-long road where
we occasionally have spied deer foraging for food. But those woods, beginning
now to glow with the colors of autumn, are the exact type of cover a deranged
sniper has been using in the Washington, D.C., area.
Boston.com
/ Latest News / Nation / ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) Investigators hunting a sniper
responsible for 10...
Published in Boston
Globe
ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) Investigators hunting a sniper responsible
for 10... By Deborah Hastings, Associated Press, 10/13/2002 01:38 ROCKVILLE,
Md. (AP) Investigators hunting a sniper responsible for 10 attacks released
their first wanted poster composite images of a white box truck after authorities
confirmed Saturday that an eighth death was linked to the killer. The images
are the first of any kind to be released in association with a killer who has
been stalking suburban Washington areas and targeting victims apparently at
random.
HoustonChronicle.com
Published in Houston
Chronicle
James Martin, 55, of Silver Spring, Md. Killed Oct. 2. A Vietnam
veteran and program analyst for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
His father died when he was 8, and he worked his way through college. Martin
had an 11-year-old son and was a Boy Scout leader, school volunteer and church
trustee. Friends remembered him as a lover of red wine who wore funny ties to
church. James L. "Sonny" Buchanan, 39, of Abingdon, Va. Killed Oct. 3. A landscaper,
he served on the regional board of the Boys and Girls of Greater Washington
and volunteered with a Crime Solvers hot line.
AP
Wire | 10/12/2002 | Fox may hold movie due to sniper
Published in BayArea.com
By ANTHONY BREZNICAN Associated Press LOS ANGELES - The real-life
sniper attacks have prompted 20th Century Fox to consider postponing release
of the thriller "Phone Booth," about a man who answers a public telephone and
finds himself pinned down by a faraway shooter. The film, starring Colin Farrell
as the trapped victim and Kiefer Sutherland as the shooter, is set to debut
nationwide Nov. 15. The plot of the film bears some similarities to the sniper
attacks on the East Coast that have killed seven people and wounded two in the
Washington area.
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