Whoop. Another one....
Posted: 2002-10-19 11:12pm
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,66119,00.html
ROCKVILLE, Md. — The task force investigating the Washington, D.C.-area sniper attacks is headed to Ashland, Va., where a man was shot Saturday in the parking lot of a Ponderosa restaurant.
Authorities say the victim, 37, and a female companion were walking to a car behind the restaurant when he was shot in the abdomen. The companion saw nothing, and authorities say they have no other witnesses at this point.
The man is still alive and currently undergoing surgery, according to authorities.
Montgomery County, Md., police Capt. Nancy Demme said the sniper task force was on the way to the scene to determine whether there is any connection to the string of sniper shootings. Ashland is about 70 miles south of Washington, D.C. and 20 miles north of Richmond, Va.
Maryland State Police Sergeant William Vogt says troopers are setting up roadblocks along Interstate 95 in Md., where they're searching for a white van with a ladder rack.
If the shooting turns out to be related, it would be the first time the sniper has struck on a weekend. The attack also would follow the longest break in between shootings as the lull in the spree stretched into a fifth day.
People have telephoned a local radio station, WRLH, and said a white truck was in the area at about the same time the shooting took place.
There have been 11 confirmed sniper shootings -- nine of them fatal -- since Oct. 2.
Meanwhile, investigators continue to examinine a shell casing found in a white box truck to see if it matches casings tied to the shootings.
Ballistic tests are being performed on the casing and the results will be released Monday at the earliest, Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose said Saturday.
Moose refused to discuss any preliminary findings in the investigation about the truck reported Friday evening by workers at a car rental agency near Dulles International Airport in Virginia.
Moose also declined to discuss other details, including who rented the truck.
"We want to just give our people time to do their work, and that work hasn't been done," he said.
On Friday, the witness who earlier in the week gave investigators false information was charged by Virginia authorities was charged with making a false statement concerning Monday's killing of FBI analyst Linda Franklin at a Fairfax County Home Depot store.
Authorities said Matthew Dowdy, 37, of Falls Church, Va., falsely described an olive- skinned man and a cream-colored Chevrolet Astro van with a burned-out taillight at the scene of one killing.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail. Dowdy was ordered held without bail pending a hearing Monday.
Northeastern University criminologist James Fox said false witnesses aren't routinely prosecuted. But authorities likely were aggressive with Dowdy because of the damage he caused to their case, he said.
"They are probably trying to make an example of him, almost to punish him for the extent of the frustration that they have," Fox said.
However, Fox said prosecuting Dowdy shouldn't deter other witnesses for coming forward. "If this guy outright lied and did deceive on purpose, then it should not have a chilling effect on other witnesses," he said.
Also on Friday, investigators revisited crime scenes.
Fairfax County officers combed an area across the highway from the Home Depot. Previously, reporters and bystanders had been allowed to tramp all over that area.
"That's not the first time the surrounding area had been checked," said Fairfax County Police Officer Julie Hersey said. "It wasn't a result of us finding that the witness was not credible."
Still, Moose, who is leading the multi-jurisdictional investigation, said crime scene perimeters need to be expanded.
"We needed to make it larger," he said of the Falls Church scene. "We are learning as we go."
Friday's developments came as the break in the shooting spree stretched into a fifth day. Before Franklin's killing, the longest gap between shootings was three days, and the previous long gaps included weekends.
Until now, the killer has been seen as a "weekday warrior," Fox said. If he does strike this weekend, it might be to prove again that he cannot be classified, categorized or profiled.
"It could be that he's just planning his next move," Fox said. "Maybe he feels he needs to do some extra homework."
U.S. investigators are questioning terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba about whether they had any information about the sniper attacks, a law enforcement official confirmed Friday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The official characterized the interviews as an effort to cover all possible investigative avenues, adding that officials do not necessarily believe Al Qaeda might be responsible for or even knowledgeable about the shootings.
Meanwhile, Moose said the investigation into whether a Sept. 14 shooting at a Silver Spring beer and wine store is connected is continuing.
Police responded to numerous false alarms, including a report of two camouflage- clad men in a white van Friday who turned out to be bowhunters. A report of a shattered window at an office building turned out to be "hot/cold dynamics," Moose said.
More than 1,000 federal, state and local law enforcements agents are working on the case, according to Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson.
Two shooting victims were scheduled to be buried Saturday.
Dean H. Meyers, 53, of Gaithersburg, who was killed Oct. 9 at a Prince William County gas station, will be laid to rest in Pottstown, Pa. Pascal Charlot, 72, gunned down Oct. 3 while standing on a Washington street corner, will be buried in Washington.
ROCKVILLE, Md. — The task force investigating the Washington, D.C.-area sniper attacks is headed to Ashland, Va., where a man was shot Saturday in the parking lot of a Ponderosa restaurant.
Authorities say the victim, 37, and a female companion were walking to a car behind the restaurant when he was shot in the abdomen. The companion saw nothing, and authorities say they have no other witnesses at this point.
The man is still alive and currently undergoing surgery, according to authorities.
Montgomery County, Md., police Capt. Nancy Demme said the sniper task force was on the way to the scene to determine whether there is any connection to the string of sniper shootings. Ashland is about 70 miles south of Washington, D.C. and 20 miles north of Richmond, Va.
Maryland State Police Sergeant William Vogt says troopers are setting up roadblocks along Interstate 95 in Md., where they're searching for a white van with a ladder rack.
If the shooting turns out to be related, it would be the first time the sniper has struck on a weekend. The attack also would follow the longest break in between shootings as the lull in the spree stretched into a fifth day.
People have telephoned a local radio station, WRLH, and said a white truck was in the area at about the same time the shooting took place.
There have been 11 confirmed sniper shootings -- nine of them fatal -- since Oct. 2.
Meanwhile, investigators continue to examinine a shell casing found in a white box truck to see if it matches casings tied to the shootings.
Ballistic tests are being performed on the casing and the results will be released Monday at the earliest, Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose said Saturday.
Moose refused to discuss any preliminary findings in the investigation about the truck reported Friday evening by workers at a car rental agency near Dulles International Airport in Virginia.
Moose also declined to discuss other details, including who rented the truck.
"We want to just give our people time to do their work, and that work hasn't been done," he said.
On Friday, the witness who earlier in the week gave investigators false information was charged by Virginia authorities was charged with making a false statement concerning Monday's killing of FBI analyst Linda Franklin at a Fairfax County Home Depot store.
Authorities said Matthew Dowdy, 37, of Falls Church, Va., falsely described an olive- skinned man and a cream-colored Chevrolet Astro van with a burned-out taillight at the scene of one killing.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail. Dowdy was ordered held without bail pending a hearing Monday.
Northeastern University criminologist James Fox said false witnesses aren't routinely prosecuted. But authorities likely were aggressive with Dowdy because of the damage he caused to their case, he said.
"They are probably trying to make an example of him, almost to punish him for the extent of the frustration that they have," Fox said.
However, Fox said prosecuting Dowdy shouldn't deter other witnesses for coming forward. "If this guy outright lied and did deceive on purpose, then it should not have a chilling effect on other witnesses," he said.
Also on Friday, investigators revisited crime scenes.
Fairfax County officers combed an area across the highway from the Home Depot. Previously, reporters and bystanders had been allowed to tramp all over that area.
"That's not the first time the surrounding area had been checked," said Fairfax County Police Officer Julie Hersey said. "It wasn't a result of us finding that the witness was not credible."
Still, Moose, who is leading the multi-jurisdictional investigation, said crime scene perimeters need to be expanded.
"We needed to make it larger," he said of the Falls Church scene. "We are learning as we go."
Friday's developments came as the break in the shooting spree stretched into a fifth day. Before Franklin's killing, the longest gap between shootings was three days, and the previous long gaps included weekends.
Until now, the killer has been seen as a "weekday warrior," Fox said. If he does strike this weekend, it might be to prove again that he cannot be classified, categorized or profiled.
"It could be that he's just planning his next move," Fox said. "Maybe he feels he needs to do some extra homework."
U.S. investigators are questioning terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba about whether they had any information about the sniper attacks, a law enforcement official confirmed Friday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The official characterized the interviews as an effort to cover all possible investigative avenues, adding that officials do not necessarily believe Al Qaeda might be responsible for or even knowledgeable about the shootings.
Meanwhile, Moose said the investigation into whether a Sept. 14 shooting at a Silver Spring beer and wine store is connected is continuing.
Police responded to numerous false alarms, including a report of two camouflage- clad men in a white van Friday who turned out to be bowhunters. A report of a shattered window at an office building turned out to be "hot/cold dynamics," Moose said.
More than 1,000 federal, state and local law enforcements agents are working on the case, according to Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson.
Two shooting victims were scheduled to be buried Saturday.
Dean H. Meyers, 53, of Gaithersburg, who was killed Oct. 9 at a Prince William County gas station, will be laid to rest in Pottstown, Pa. Pascal Charlot, 72, gunned down Oct. 3 while standing on a Washington street corner, will be buried in Washington.
