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Shootings mc Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/South/10/03/maryland.shootings/index.htmlhttp://www.cnn.com/2002/US/South/10/03/maryland.shootings/index.html
5 shot dead in Washington suburb
From Fran Lewine (CNN)
ROCKVILLE, Maryland (CNN) --Police hunted a "very calculating" killer or killers on Thursday who they believe shot to death three men and two women in apparently random separate incidents, all outside, over a period of 15 hours in affluent Montgomery County, a Washington suburb.
All public schools in Washington, D.C., and in the Maryland suburbs of Montgomery and Prince Georges counties canceled outdoor activities -- a "Code Blue" lockdown in Montgomery County parlance.
"We strongly believe all of these are connected," Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose told reporters. He said his statement was based on the weaponry used, but did not elaborate.
Moose said police believe the victims were randomly selected. "These are simply victims and we need to figure out a way to stop this," he said. Moose described the killer or killers as "very calculating."
Authorities were looking for a "white, box-type vehicle, possibly an Isuzu" with a damaged rear door, that was seen leaving the area of a post office where a man was killed.
According to police:
The first killing happened at about 6 p.m. Wednesday when a 55-year-old man was gunned down coming out of a supermarket in Wheaton.
Police learned of the first of the Thursday attacks at 7:41 a.m., when they got a call about a man who was shot while mowing his lawn at an address on Rockville Pike.
Less than an hour later, police received another call, this time reporting a man shot while gassing up a minivan at a Mobil station on Aspen Hill Road.
Also on Thursday, a woman was killed at the post office in a retirement community called Leisure World.
Another woman was shot dead Thursday while vacuuming her car at a nearby Shell gas station at Connecticut and Knolls avenues.
The owner of the Shell gas station said of that victim: "She was, like, her legs were underneath the car and the door was open," said John Mistry. The station is about three miles from the Mobil station and within five miles of the Rockville Pike location. "We thought she had a heart attack or something like that."
"At this point, we have very little hard evidence to deal with," Moose said.
He asked residents not to call 911 unless they truly had an emergency, since the system was being inundated with calls about the killings. "We don't have the resources to respond to every white van, but we will make those priority decisions."
Authorities are discussing strategies with neighboring agencies. "We'll use all and any available resources," Moose said.
In announcing the school lockdown, the Montgomery County school superintendent's office said:
"All schools are directed by the superintendent of schools to implement immediate code blue emergency procedures and to cancel all outdoor recess and other outdoor activities including open lunch until further notice today. Afternoon kindergarten and pre-kindergarten have been canceled. Morning and pre-kindergarten students should be held at school unless they are picked up by identified parents or guardians."
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