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Sniper call back { October 21 2002 }

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   http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A60464-2002Oct21.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A60464-2002Oct21.html

Police Seek Contact With Sniper

By Allen G. Breed
Associated Press Writer
Monday, October 21, 2002; 4:48 PM

RICHMOND, Va. –– Police trying to establish contact with the Washington-area sniper said Monday that a phone call had come in but was too muddled for authorities to understand. They pleaded with the person to call back.

"The person you called could not hear everything you said. The audio was unclear and we want to get it right. Call us back so that we can clearly understand," Montgomery County, Md., Police Chief Charles Moose said.

Moose said he could not discuss the message further.

Moose made no mention of a development in Richmond earlier Monday in which police seized two men for questioning in the attacks.

Hanover County Sheriff Stuart Cook said the men were taken into custody about 8:35 a.m. at or near an Exxon station in suburban Richmond.

"The two people we have in custody are being questioned as regards the sniper shootings," Cook said. "When we have further information that we can give to the public ... that we've concluded this case we'll do so, but that's not the case at hand."

He refused to describe the men as suspects in the string of shootings that have left nine people dead and three wounded.

During an earlier news conference, Moose focused on establishing a dialogue with the unidentified person who left a message and phone number Saturday night near a Virginia steakhouse where the latest victim was shot.

On Sunday, he had publicly pleaded with the note writer to call authorities. On Monday, he said: "The message that needs to be delivered is that we are going to respond to a message that we have received. We are preparing our response at this time."

Moose did not specify whether the message was a new communication or the same one they discovered at the steakhouse. He refused to answer questions.

The nature of the message that investigators say was left at the Ashland shooting scene was not disclosed.

The flurry of activity raised hope there had been a break in the search for the sniper who has roaming Virginia, Maryland and Washington since Oct. 2.

Schools in Richmond and nearby counties were shut down Monday because of fears raised by the sniper's southward march.

"We want to assure you we continue to press forward with all of our resources and truly understand the fears, anxieties and the concerns of all of our citizens," the sheriff said.

The van, which had 30-day Virginia tags and a small Marine Corps sticker on the back window, had been idling beside the pay phone at least 45 minutes, said David Dunham, a mechanic at a nearby car dealership.

Another mechanic, Mark Deering, said police watched the van for about 15 minutes before three officers in bulletproof vests crept closer.

"The three went up to the passenger side, kicked the front door and tried to pull it open," said Deering, who was less than 50 feet away. "After he opened the door, they said something to him and they had guns pointed at him, and then one of the guys went into van through the sliding door and pulled the guy out through the sliding door.

"They slammed him on the ground and put handcuffs on him."

Authorities refused to disclose details about how the other man was seized.

Meanwhile, the latest victim was in stable condition at a Richmond hospital after having his spleen and parts of his pancreas and stomach removed.

The man and his wife had stopped in Ashland for gas and food. His wife told authorities the shot sounded like a car backfiring and said her husband took about three steps before collapsing.

Through the hospital, the wife issued a statement saying the caring and prayers she and her husband have received "have been a bright ray of hope and comfort."

"Please pray also for the attacker and that no one else is hurt," she added.

Amid the mayhem, the sniper's latest fatal victim was laid to rest.

FBI analyst Linda Franklin, 47, was killed by the sniper Oct. 14 outside a Home Depot in Falls Church while loading packages with her husband. Franklin had survived breast cancer and was awaiting the birth of her first grandson.

"Whoever this perpetrator is has surrendered himself to darkness and evil," minister Larry Tingle told about 200 mourners at Mount Olivet United Methodist Church in Arlington.

In other developments Monday:

– France alerted Interpol about a French army deserter who is known as a marksman and is missing in North America. A Defense Ministry spokesman said there was speculation of a link to the sniper.

– Bail was denied for Matthew M. Dowdy, who was accused of lying to police by describing a cream-colored van with a burned-out taillight at the scene of last week's shooting in Falls Church.

–The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that police have found more than one tarot card during the investigation. A tarot death card was reported found Oct. 7 outside a Bowie, Md., middle school where the sniper wounded a 13-year-old boy. It had the words "Dear Policeman, I am God" written on it.

–––

On the Net:

Montgomery County police: http://www.co.mo.md.us

FBI: http://www.fbi.gov



© 2002 The Associated Press


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