Sniper terror: Police hunt white van
A massive police hunt was taking place today for a white van spotted leaving the scene of what is thought to have been the 10th attack by the Washington serial sniper.
Police said yesterday’s murder at a petrol station in Fredericksburg, Virginia, 30 miles south of the US capital, was “similar” to other shootings by the gunman stalking the area.
The FBI identified the victim as Kenneth H Bridges, 53, a father of six who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and was co-founder of a marketing distribution company.
FBI spokeswoman Linda Vizi said Bridges’ wife was concerned because he was going to the Washington area. She said Bridges was hit once in the shoulder and the bullet struck a vital organ.
Officers were searching for a white Chevrolet Astro-type van, with a ladder on top, police said.
Witnesses saw two people inside the vehicle.
A white van has been spotted near the scene of two earlier shootings.
As in other attacks, the victim was killed in a public place with a single shot. Three victims of the sniper were killed as they filled their vehicles at petrol stations.
Many drivers in the Washington area now crouch down when they visit petrol stations to avoid becoming potential targets.
Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose said the latest attack “looks similar” to previous shootings linked to the sniper.
Sheriff Ronald Knight said a police officer was only 50 meters from the victim of the attack, and would probably have been in view of the killer.
“Obviously we are dealing with an individual that is extremely violent and does not care,” he said.
Eight people have been killed and two injured by the sniper who has been terrorising the Washington suburbs since last week.
Investigators said the attacker apparently picked victims at random and fired from a distance with a high-powered hunting or military-style rifle.
The youngest victim, a 13-year-old boy who was shot as his aunt dropped him off at school on Monday, remains in a critical, but stable condition.
Investigators found a tarot card inscribed with the message, “Dear Policeman: I am God” beside a spent bullet casing about 150 yards from where the boy was shot.
There are no known witnesses of the sniper.
Police are trawling through video surveillance tapes from the shooting scenes to look for similarities.
