Sniper investigators release wanted poster
Investigators hunting a sniper responsible for 10 attacks in the Washington area prepared to release their first wanted poster – a drawing of a white box truck – after it was confirmed today that an eighth death had been linked to the killer.
But more than a week after the shootings began, a massive task force of county, state and federal officers will not say if they know who they are looking for, or even if the sniper is acting alone. Eight people have been killed and two wounded.
The only known witness reports are of a white van or box truck near some of the shooting scenes. A 500,000 dollar reward remains unclaimed.
Police chief Charles Moose, of affluent Montgomery County, Maryland, north of Washington, where five people have been shot dead, said a special FBI unit was working with witnesses to produce a picture that would help jog memories about the vehicle seen after a woman was shot at a post office on October 3.
It is the first image to be released in association with a killer who has been stalking suburban areas surrounding the US capital and spreading grief and panic through an area of nearly five million people.
The latest victim was Kenneth Bridges, 53, a businessman and father of six who was shot as he filled up in his car yesterday morning at an Exxon station in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, about an hour’s drive from Washington.
It was a brazen attack, carried out with a single shot as a police officer stood just across the street.
The officer rushed to help the victim, and the killer disappeared.
The attacks have all been carried out in public places as the victims went about their daily tasks.
Each time, the sniper has fired a single round from a high-powered rifle, seemingly picking targets at random.
“One of the most valuable aspects of this investigation is the public’s involvement,” Virginia Governor Mark Warner said. “The eyes and ears of the public are some of our best assets right now.”
