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CNN Live At Daybreak
Woman Shot, Killed in Fairfax County, Virginia
Aired October 15, 2002 - 05:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Forensic tests are under way this morning to determine if the sniper has struck again. A woman was shot and killed in Fairfax County, Virginia. Her husband was standing nearby. The shooting happened around 9:15 Eastern last night outside of the Home Depot store. That's about six miles from D.C. The woman and her husband were putting packages in their car when she was shot once in the upper body and killed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF TOM MANGER, FAIRFAX COUNTY POLICE: I know that the question in everyone's mind is is this shooting related to the others that we've had in the area. It's too early to tell at this point. However, we are working it and investigating it with that potential in mind.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Police say there were witnesses, so right now authorities are looking for a cream colored Chevrolet Astrovan with the left taillight out. The vehicle is similar to one witnesses reported seeing shortly after Friday's sniper shooting. If the Falls Church shooting is linked to the sniper, and we may have word of that later this morning, it would make the eleventh shooting and ninth killing since October 2.
So, as I said, the shooting comes about 84 hours after the last confirmed sniper killing.
For the latest on this most recent shooting, we go to the crime scene and CNN's Patty Davis -- can you bring us up to date, Patty?
PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, that woman was pronounced dead at the scene. She had not yet been identified. The police, ATF, the FBI were here, are still here, in fact, working in this crime scene, looking for any clues, looking for any ballistic evidence, trying to figure out whether or not the sniper was involved in this shooting.
Now, a massive dragnet here in Fairfax County, Virginia and the surrounding highways. This is a busy, busy highway, 50 here, that goes right by this Home Depot. There's another intersection up here, Highway 7. 395 close by. Many possible routes that a killer could get away.
Unfortunately, despite that massive dragnet, police did not turn up that van and here's what they say exactly what they are looking for.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MANGER: We have a little bit further information on the lookout for a vehicle that we're trying to track down. Again, it is a cream colored Astrovan. It has a taillight out. We believe now it's the left taillight that's out. The van has as silver ladder rack on the top.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAVIS: Now that is a little bit more information than we have heard previously. Previously we have heard a white Astrovan. But this ladder is new. This taillight out is something new. More details for the public to absorb so that they can be on the lookout for this van and this killer, if that is connected to the other sniper shootings.
Now, police have talked to witnesses. One witness told me, in fact, that he did hear one gunshot. That would be this sniper's M.O. All of the other killings, all of the other shootings have involved one single gunshot.
Now, some witnesses -- this could be an important lead for investigators here -- some witnesses in the area report that they did see a cream colored van driving around the area after the shootings. They got license tag numbers. They gave them to police. They are running those down, though police do not know if that is connected, if that particular van is connected to the one that was seen here or even if the one that was seen here had anything to do with the shooting.
But they are certainly looking still. There's still police activity on the road beside me, looking very carefully at all the cars that pass -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Patty, I have a couple of questions for you. First of all, this shooting took place inside of a parking garage. Are there cameras mounted anywhere within that parking facility?
DAVIS: That's something I don't know and police are not giving that up. When we asked the police chief that at one of the press conferences, he said that this investigation was just beginning. So if there is, that will certainly be a helpful clue. This is a covered parking garage. It's two levels and you can see out onto the highway. So possible access for somebody who wanted to shoot in -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Another question I had, we were going through the list to see if a Michael's craft store was located in that seven corner shopping center where you are, and there is one. That makes four shooting incidences where a Michael's was at the shopping center or nearby.
Is there anything to that?
DAVIS: That's a good question. Hopefully something that investigators are looking into. It was the first shooting, about a week and a half ago, where this sniper bullet went through a window of a Michael's in Aspen Hill. Then a woman in Fredericksburg was shot. Now, she is OK. That was a Michael's there. And then there's this Michael's incident. I know of three incidents involving Michael's. The Michael's here is up above and behind the Home Depot.
Very interesting. Could be a coincidence. It could be, who knows, it could be, you know, perhaps a disgruntled employee. I'm sure that police are looking at all of these angles -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Got you.
Patty Davis, thank you for that update. We appreciate it. We're going to look more into this Michael's angle to see what more information we can gather.
The sniper investigation is being handled out of Montgomery County, Maryland, where the first five killings too place.
CNN's Jeanne Meserve is live at the Montgomery County police headquarters -- good morning, Jeanne.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Member of the sniper task force have gone to Fairfax County to assist in this investigation. That has become routine in the greater Washington area if there is a shooting that they think could be connected with the sniper killings. And this one, as you've mentioned, has many of the hallmarks -- a single shot, according to eyewitnesses; a wound to the upper body and the presence of a light, Astro type van with a ladder rack on top; also, the proximity of the Michael's craft store.
There are some things that are dissimilar. This shooting is in a very congested area. Unlike some of the recent shootings, it does not have immediate access to an interstate highway. There are a lot of stoplights on both Routes 7 and 50 that intersect here, which would appear to make a quick getaway from the scene difficult.
Also, this would be the first shooting in Fairfax County. It would be the third in a row in Virginia, the fourth in Virginia overall.
President Bush was asked about this shooting yesterday, or not about this shooting, but about the sniper shootings yesterday. He spoke out strongly, saying they were the work of a sick mind.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm just sick, sick to my stomach to think that there is a cold-blooded killer at home taking innocent life. I weep for those who've lost their loved ones. You know, the idea of moms taking their kids to school and sheltering them from a potential sniper attack is not the America that I know and therefore we're lending all the resources of the federal government, all that have been required to do everything we can to assist the local law authorities to find this, whoever it is. (END VIDEO CLIP)
MESERVE: We have been waiting for several days for the release of a composite of a white Astro van that was seen by witnesses in the vicinity of the Spotsylvania County shooting last Friday. Unclear if the reports of this Fairfax County shooting and the sighting of a van there will hold up that composite. It is possible that investigators will want to talk to witnesses there and may want to incorporate some of the information they have if they believe that these are, indeed, the same vehicle, if they do discover that these shootings are, indeed, connected.
Of course, the key thing that is going to establish that is the ballistic evidence. No word on what sort of evidence they've recovered yet or how long that analysis will take. But I will tell you in past cases it has sometimes come back quicker than 12 hours -- Carol, back to you.
COSTELLO: All right, Jeanne Meserve reporting live from Montgomery County.
At home or work you can check for updates on the sniper investigation from your own computer. You can also find an interactive look at the sniper's trail. Just visit us at cnn.com, AOL keyword: CNN. And, of course, we'll have more on the new shooting and the sniper investigation later on on DAYBREAK.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired October 15, 2002 - 05:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Forensic tests are under way this morning to determine if the sniper has struck again. A woman was shot and killed in Fairfax County, Virginia. Her husband was standing nearby. The shooting happened around 9:15 Eastern last night outside of the Home Depot store. That's about six miles from D.C. The woman and her husband were putting packages in their car when she was shot once in the upper body and killed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF TOM MANGER, FAIRFAX COUNTY POLICE: I know that the question in everyone's mind is is this shooting related to the others that we've had in the area. It's too early to tell at this point. However, we are working it and investigating it with that potential in mind.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Police say there were witnesses, so right now authorities are looking for a cream colored Chevrolet Astrovan with the left taillight out. The vehicle is similar to one witnesses reported seeing shortly after Friday's sniper shooting. If the Falls Church shooting is linked to the sniper, and we may have word of that later this morning, it would make the eleventh shooting and ninth killing since October 2.
So, as I said, the shooting comes about 84 hours after the last confirmed sniper killing.
For the latest on this most recent shooting, we go to the crime scene and CNN's Patty Davis -- can you bring us up to date, Patty?
PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, that woman was pronounced dead at the scene. She had not yet been identified. The police, ATF, the FBI were here, are still here, in fact, working in this crime scene, looking for any clues, looking for any ballistic evidence, trying to figure out whether or not the sniper was involved in this shooting.
Now, a massive dragnet here in Fairfax County, Virginia and the surrounding highways. This is a busy, busy highway, 50 here, that goes right by this Home Depot. There's another intersection up here, Highway 7. 395 close by. Many possible routes that a killer could get away.
Unfortunately, despite that massive dragnet, police did not turn up that van and here's what they say exactly what they are looking for.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MANGER: We have a little bit further information on the lookout for a vehicle that we're trying to track down. Again, it is a cream colored Astrovan. It has a taillight out. We believe now it's the left taillight that's out. The van has as silver ladder rack on the top.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAVIS: Now that is a little bit more information than we have heard previously. Previously we have heard a white Astrovan. But this ladder is new. This taillight out is something new. More details for the public to absorb so that they can be on the lookout for this van and this killer, if that is connected to the other sniper shootings.
Now, police have talked to witnesses. One witness told me, in fact, that he did hear one gunshot. That would be this sniper's M.O. All of the other killings, all of the other shootings have involved one single gunshot.
Now, some witnesses -- this could be an important lead for investigators here -- some witnesses in the area report that they did see a cream colored van driving around the area after the shootings. They got license tag numbers. They gave them to police. They are running those down, though police do not know if that is connected, if that particular van is connected to the one that was seen here or even if the one that was seen here had anything to do with the shooting.
But they are certainly looking still. There's still police activity on the road beside me, looking very carefully at all the cars that pass -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Patty, I have a couple of questions for you. First of all, this shooting took place inside of a parking garage. Are there cameras mounted anywhere within that parking facility?
DAVIS: That's something I don't know and police are not giving that up. When we asked the police chief that at one of the press conferences, he said that this investigation was just beginning. So if there is, that will certainly be a helpful clue. This is a covered parking garage. It's two levels and you can see out onto the highway. So possible access for somebody who wanted to shoot in -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Another question I had, we were going through the list to see if a Michael's craft store was located in that seven corner shopping center where you are, and there is one. That makes four shooting incidences where a Michael's was at the shopping center or nearby.
Is there anything to that?
DAVIS: That's a good question. Hopefully something that investigators are looking into. It was the first shooting, about a week and a half ago, where this sniper bullet went through a window of a Michael's in Aspen Hill. Then a woman in Fredericksburg was shot. Now, she is OK. That was a Michael's there. And then there's this Michael's incident. I know of three incidents involving Michael's. The Michael's here is up above and behind the Home Depot.
Very interesting. Could be a coincidence. It could be, who knows, it could be, you know, perhaps a disgruntled employee. I'm sure that police are looking at all of these angles -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Got you.
Patty Davis, thank you for that update. We appreciate it. We're going to look more into this Michael's angle to see what more information we can gather.
The sniper investigation is being handled out of Montgomery County, Maryland, where the first five killings too place.
CNN's Jeanne Meserve is live at the Montgomery County police headquarters -- good morning, Jeanne.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Member of the sniper task force have gone to Fairfax County to assist in this investigation. That has become routine in the greater Washington area if there is a shooting that they think could be connected with the sniper killings. And this one, as you've mentioned, has many of the hallmarks -- a single shot, according to eyewitnesses; a wound to the upper body and the presence of a light, Astro type van with a ladder rack on top; also, the proximity of the Michael's craft store.
There are some things that are dissimilar. This shooting is in a very congested area. Unlike some of the recent shootings, it does not have immediate access to an interstate highway. There are a lot of stoplights on both Routes 7 and 50 that intersect here, which would appear to make a quick getaway from the scene difficult.
Also, this would be the first shooting in Fairfax County. It would be the third in a row in Virginia, the fourth in Virginia overall.
President Bush was asked about this shooting yesterday, or not about this shooting, but about the sniper shootings yesterday. He spoke out strongly, saying they were the work of a sick mind.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm just sick, sick to my stomach to think that there is a cold-blooded killer at home taking innocent life. I weep for those who've lost their loved ones. You know, the idea of moms taking their kids to school and sheltering them from a potential sniper attack is not the America that I know and therefore we're lending all the resources of the federal government, all that have been required to do everything we can to assist the local law authorities to find this, whoever it is. (END VIDEO CLIP)
MESERVE: We have been waiting for several days for the release of a composite of a white Astro van that was seen by witnesses in the vicinity of the Spotsylvania County shooting last Friday. Unclear if the reports of this Fairfax County shooting and the sighting of a van there will hold up that composite. It is possible that investigators will want to talk to witnesses there and may want to incorporate some of the information they have if they believe that these are, indeed, the same vehicle, if they do discover that these shootings are, indeed, connected.
Of course, the key thing that is going to establish that is the ballistic evidence. No word on what sort of evidence they've recovered yet or how long that analysis will take. But I will tell you in past cases it has sometimes come back quicker than 12 hours -- Carol, back to you.
COSTELLO: All right, Jeanne Meserve reporting live from Montgomery County.
At home or work you can check for updates on the sniper investigation from your own computer. You can also find an interactive look at the sniper's trail. Just visit us at cnn.com, AOL keyword: CNN. And, of course, we'll have more on the new shooting and the sniper investigation later on on DAYBREAK.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
