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Sniper on Loose: Searching for Killer

Aired October 15, 2002 - 11:03   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: This latest shooting taking place in Falls Church, Virginia, just inside the Beltway, closer and closer to Washington, D.C. than the last three previous shootings.
It's also where we find our Michael Okwu with the latest on this story.

Michael -- good morning.

MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn.

There was some relative calm through the weekend. Nearly 84 hours had passed since Friday's shooting, and, of course, all of that came to a very tragic and abrupt end last night.

Now, Linda Franklin, 47 years old, as you mentioned, from Arlington, Virginia, gunned down last night in the parking area here at the Home Depot in Falls Church, Virginia. Her husband not far from her side.

Federal agents now have been on this scene with other investigators for almost 14 hours, some of them literally on their hands and knees combing through this entire area, looking for any physical evidence whatsoever.

Now, authorities are trying to hone in on a light-colored Chevy Astro with a nonfunctioning rear taillight. That description coming from eyewitnesses.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF TOM MANGER, FAIRFAX COUNTY POLICE: We have received license plate information from several witnesses, different information on different tags. We're following up on all of that information. We are not ready to release any tag information about a suspect vehicle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OKWU: Now, this area is known as the Seven Corners. That's because a lot of major roads converge at this particular location. Now, that has been part of the sniper's M.O., to literally set his sights on a highly-trafficked commercial corridor that has very easy access in, and most importantly for this particular assailant, very easy access out -- Daryn

KAGAN: Michael Okwu in Falls Church, Virginia -- thank you very much.

Now, we want to bring our Justice correspondent, Kelli Arena, in to help us with our coverage.

Kelli -- good morning.

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

Besides checking into those partial license plate numbers that we heard about, there are some witnesses who are also, we are told by law enforcement sources, working with investigators on putting together a possible composite sketch. This of an individual that some witnesses say they saw that aroused suspicions.

The sources I spoke to would not get into anymore detail about what was suspicious about this individual, but we know that that is part of the investigation as well.

I will offer this caveat, though, as law enforcement sources offered to me. This -- you know, no one should get their hopes up here. This could very well be someone that witnesses saw that they thought was suspicious that turns out to be, you know, having a very legitimate reason for being there, and may not be connected in any way to this shooting.

So, it is something that's being worked on. However, you know, they have worked with people before on possible sketches, and it's turned out to be a dead end. But that investigation, at least on that front, continues, and it does provide some hope and could possibly be a lead. I mean, you never know. I mean, each investigator has said that unfortunately it could mean waiting for the next shooting, as we saw last night, to break open this case -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Kelli, one thing about this latest shooting, it's spread to yet another county, to Fairfax County.

ARENA: Right.

KAGAN: Which means you have six local police jurisdictions working on this, as well as state officials in Maryland and Virginia, and, of course, the federal role.

ARENA: Right.

KAGAN: What role are federal investigators and the FBI and other agencies playing in this investigation?

ARENA: Well, FBI agents, of course, are providing manpower, investigative power. The local and state officials also have use of the FBI's database, which is a database that helps them to put in all of the information, all of the leads, into a computer system that then prioritizes and groups that information together so that ground is not retread, and facts and information are prioritized.

You also, of course, have the involvement by the ATF, at least 250 agents from the ATF, and the use of the ballistics lab as well. Secret Service agents have been deployed to provide extra eyes and ears at several of the sites.

You even have members of the Joint Terrorism Task Forces involved, just to provide manpower at this point.

So, you do have the full force of the federal government involved in this investigation. Some have suggested or asked the question, why isn't the federal government in control here? Why isn't the FBI running -- isn't the lead agency here in this investigation? It does remain a local matter, as you know, Daryn, from being in Montgomery County. Police remains the lead agency in this, but that it is not to say that they don't have the full availability of all of those federal agencies available to them as needed.

KAGAN: Kelli Arena in our Washington D.C. bureau -- thank you so much.

ARENA: You're welcome, Daryn.

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 - 11:03   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: This latest shooting taking place in Falls Church, Virginia, just inside the Beltway, closer and closer to Washington, D.C. than the last three previous shootings.
It's also where we find our Michael Okwu with the latest on this story.

Michael -- good morning.

MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn.

There was some relative calm through the weekend. Nearly 84 hours had passed since Friday's shooting, and, of course, all of that came to a very tragic and abrupt end last night.

Now, Linda Franklin, 47 years old, as you mentioned, from Arlington, Virginia, gunned down last night in the parking area here at the Home Depot in Falls Church, Virginia. Her husband not far from her side.

Federal agents now have been on this scene with other investigators for almost 14 hours, some of them literally on their hands and knees combing through this entire area, looking for any physical evidence whatsoever.

Now, authorities are trying to hone in on a light-colored Chevy Astro with a nonfunctioning rear taillight. That description coming from eyewitnesses.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF TOM MANGER, FAIRFAX COUNTY POLICE: We have received license plate information from several witnesses, different information on different tags. We're following up on all of that information. We are not ready to release any tag information about a suspect vehicle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OKWU: Now, this area is known as the Seven Corners. That's because a lot of major roads converge at this particular location. Now, that has been part of the sniper's M.O., to literally set his sights on a highly-trafficked commercial corridor that has very easy access in, and most importantly for this particular assailant, very easy access out -- Daryn

KAGAN: Michael Okwu in Falls Church, Virginia -- thank you very much.

Now, we want to bring our Justice correspondent, Kelli Arena, in to help us with our coverage.

Kelli -- good morning.

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

Besides checking into those partial license plate numbers that we heard about, there are some witnesses who are also, we are told by law enforcement sources, working with investigators on putting together a possible composite sketch. This of an individual that some witnesses say they saw that aroused suspicions.

The sources I spoke to would not get into anymore detail about what was suspicious about this individual, but we know that that is part of the investigation as well.

I will offer this caveat, though, as law enforcement sources offered to me. This -- you know, no one should get their hopes up here. This could very well be someone that witnesses saw that they thought was suspicious that turns out to be, you know, having a very legitimate reason for being there, and may not be connected in any way to this shooting.

So, it is something that's being worked on. However, you know, they have worked with people before on possible sketches, and it's turned out to be a dead end. But that investigation, at least on that front, continues, and it does provide some hope and could possibly be a lead. I mean, you never know. I mean, each investigator has said that unfortunately it could mean waiting for the next shooting, as we saw last night, to break open this case -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Kelli, one thing about this latest shooting, it's spread to yet another county, to Fairfax County.

ARENA: Right.

KAGAN: Which means you have six local police jurisdictions working on this, as well as state officials in Maryland and Virginia, and, of course, the federal role.

ARENA: Right.

KAGAN: What role are federal investigators and the FBI and other agencies playing in this investigation?

ARENA: Well, FBI agents, of course, are providing manpower, investigative power. The local and state officials also have use of the FBI's database, which is a database that helps them to put in all of the information, all of the leads, into a computer system that then prioritizes and groups that information together so that ground is not retread, and facts and information are prioritized.

You also, of course, have the involvement by the ATF, at least 250 agents from the ATF, and the use of the ballistics lab as well. Secret Service agents have been deployed to provide extra eyes and ears at several of the sites.

You even have members of the Joint Terrorism Task Forces involved, just to provide manpower at this point.

So, you do have the full force of the federal government involved in this investigation. Some have suggested or asked the question, why isn't the federal government in control here? Why isn't the FBI running -- isn't the lead agency here in this investigation? It does remain a local matter, as you know, Daryn, from being in Montgomery County. Police remains the lead agency in this, but that it is not to say that they don't have the full availability of all of those federal agencies available to them as needed.

KAGAN: Kelli Arena in our Washington D.C. bureau -- thank you so much.

ARENA: You're welcome, Daryn.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.