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Sniper on the Loose: Police Draw Upon Eyewitness Accounts

Aired October 16, 2002 - 10:00   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.


LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Well we now go to suburban Washington where investigators are hoping that the image of a killer is coming into focus now. Two weeks to the day since the sniper first struck, police are drawing upon eyewitness accounts to develop a composite sketch of a suspect.
My partner, Daryn Kagan, is standing by in Montgomery County, Maryland, the hub of the sniper investigation. Let's check in with her now.

Good morning -- Daryn.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Leon, good morning to you from Montgomery County, Maryland.

Some encouraging news in that it has been 36 hours since the last -- actually more than 36 hours since the last shooting took place. But there is no rest for the weary and those that are scared and searching for the killer out here in Montgomery County and the Washington, D.C. area. As you mentioned, it has been two weeks, nine people dead, two people wounded.

Some more encouraging news, it appears with the last shootings that some eyewitnesses are telling police that they believe they did get a good look at the shooter, and particularly with the Home Depot shooting, a good look at the shooter, took the gun and took aim at Linda Franklin. Hopefully that will help in the hunt for this person.

Other development today, getting word that the Pentagon is indeed getting involved in the search for this killer.

Our Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon with more on that.

Barbara, good morning.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

Well late yesterday, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld signed the deployment order that now allows Army Airborne surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft to be used in the hunt for the sniper who is terrorizing Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STARR (voice-over): The plan calls for the military to provide reconnaissance and surveillance equipment that might be used to try and quickly find the sniper within moments of a next attack. In addition, advanced communications gear will be used to allow the authorities to react faster.

Law enforcement authorities will request the equipment as needed but the military will have a tightly-controlled role. Troops will only operate the equipment, passing data to law enforcement authorities who would be alongside. It would be up to civilian authorities to chase and arrest any suspect.

Under the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, the military is prohibited from any role in domestic law enforcement. This is not the first time the military has assisted in law enforcement, however. For several years, troops have worked alongside civilian authorities in drug interdiction, looking for suspects but not participating in actual arrests.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: Now, Daryn, Pentagon officials are still very reluctant to talk about the very specific details of exactly how this equipment will be used, how much it will fly over the Washington, D.C. area, when it will fly, all of that. They don't want to jeopardize the investigation. But if the sniper strikes again, then the military is now ready to join the hunt -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Yes, Barbara, I was actually kind of curious how that would work, if this plane would be up in the air constantly? Again, I don't know if these are details you can release, but if it's not up in the air, this -- these events have happened so quickly, how would it be that a plane could get up quick enough to be of help?

STARR: Well you have, to use a cliche, just hit the nail on the head. The Pentagon has asked us not to talk about the very specific details of when the plane will be flying over the Washington, D.C. area. You know they do have some concerns that this might be someone who has a real understanding of military affairs, tactics and procedures and they just don't want to talk about too much of what they're planning to do.

KAGAN: The other thing that I find interesting that you explained in your piece there was the restrictions that the military is under, there's only so much they can do to get involved in civilian matters. Have you -- has it been explained to you? Are you able to share with us how a military personnel will relay the information so that actually it's not military people who are doing the arresting or going -- or crossing that line?

STARR: That's right. All the military can do under the law in this country is gather the data and pass it along to civilian law enforcement authorities. They can't even say to the civilian law enforcement there's your potential target because the U.S. military is not allowed to target civilians in this country.

The drug enforcement situation really provides the precedent for this. The U.S. military gathers a lot of surveillance and reconnaissance information along the borders and the waterways, you know, ports and harbors and that sort of thing, but it's only data gathering. They look for data. They look and conduct reconnaissance and surveillance. They don't point out targets. All of that is up to the civilian law enforcement authorities.

And you can be sure in this case they're going to be extremely careful, because if they are able to gather some information that is useful, they're going to want it to be admissible in any civilian criminal proceeding -- you know court proceeding eventually in this country. So an awful lot of attention is being paid to that Posse Comitatus law and making sure this is done exactly by the book.

KAGAN: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. Barbara, thank you so much.

Want to get more of the local flavor and more on this investigation and for that we want to bring in one of our colleagues at WTOP radio.

Today we are talking with Mike Moss. This is the news radio station here in the Washington, D.C. area and they have been very helpful as we've been bringing you coverage over the last two weeks.

Mike, good morning.

MIKE MOSS, WTOP RADIO: Good morning, Daryn, nice to be with you.

KAGAN: Seems like the lead story right now, besides the search for the killer, is the weather here in the Washington, D.C. area. As we have seen with last Friday, the weather is not necessarily a deterrent for the person that is running around doing these killings.

MOSS: No, absolutely not. As you look back on the last two weeks of terror that this whole region has felt, there seems to be no real pattern to anything. Whether he'd strike in the day, strike at night or whether in good weather or bad weather. Bad weather is no predictor in any fashion, it just creates even more traffic around here in an already congested area.

KAGAN: Another frustration from the shooting from two nights ago was it seemed like that the police had such a tight dragnet on the situation around that shopping center and yet the killer still got away. How are people reacting to being stuck in that kind of traffic and yet still not finding the killer?

MOSS: Well they're used to -- they're used to traffic around here, Daryn,...

KAGAN: Yes.

MOSS: ... and they don't like it ordinarily. But in circumstances like this, they put up with it and they have no problem with it whatsoever. As you can remember last Friday, tens of miles of Interstate 95, a very important north/south link, part of the interstate highway system, was blocked after the shooting in Massaponax and people put up with those delays for many hours without any questions.

But I think there are some questions about the dragnet itself. There are reports from some witnesses that in this last shooting that took place outside the Home Depot store in Falls Church, Virginia, that there were, in some cases, roads that were not closed down for up to 45 minutes. Now we were led to believe by police, at least immediately after the shooting, that they were very quick to shut these arteries off. But apparently, as some of these witnesses are claiming, that may not have been the case, and maybe the dragnet wasn't quite as sufficient as they'd hope it'd be.

KAGAN: One of the things that has been so heartbreaking about this story, for some reason, and I don't know how he does it, but the sniper seems to pick out incredible people leading remarkable lives and that has been consistent with the latest victim, Linda Franklin. What has WTOP been able to learn about her?

MOSS: She's just a wonderful person. Now here's a cancer survivor who has gotten on with her life. She's changed her career from education to the FBI. Liked by friends. Obviously loved by, not just her family, but the FBI family. This is a very hard loss for the entire community. And the FBI is a very close-knit family. There are many FBI families located in the Washington area where the headquarters is located. They're taking it very hard.

But every one of these losses has been powerful. Whether it was a cab driver or a mother, whoever it was, the randomness of it, these people did nothing in any way that should have provoked this kind of event in their lives. And to die as they have, so randomly, it's been a big part of the pain and the fright that people feel.

KAGAN: Mike Moss of WTOP, thank you to you and your colleagues. We appreciate your help once again, and I'm sure we'll be calling you as the day goes on.

MOSS: Sure, Daryn, any time.

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 16, 2002 - 10:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Well we now go to suburban Washington where investigators are hoping that the image of a killer is coming into focus now. Two weeks to the day since the sniper first struck, police are drawing upon eyewitness accounts to develop a composite sketch of a suspect.
My partner, Daryn Kagan, is standing by in Montgomery County, Maryland, the hub of the sniper investigation. Let's check in with her now.

Good morning -- Daryn.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Leon, good morning to you from Montgomery County, Maryland.

Some encouraging news in that it has been 36 hours since the last -- actually more than 36 hours since the last shooting took place. But there is no rest for the weary and those that are scared and searching for the killer out here in Montgomery County and the Washington, D.C. area. As you mentioned, it has been two weeks, nine people dead, two people wounded.

Some more encouraging news, it appears with the last shootings that some eyewitnesses are telling police that they believe they did get a good look at the shooter, and particularly with the Home Depot shooting, a good look at the shooter, took the gun and took aim at Linda Franklin. Hopefully that will help in the hunt for this person.

Other development today, getting word that the Pentagon is indeed getting involved in the search for this killer.

Our Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon with more on that.

Barbara, good morning.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

Well late yesterday, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld signed the deployment order that now allows Army Airborne surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft to be used in the hunt for the sniper who is terrorizing Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STARR (voice-over): The plan calls for the military to provide reconnaissance and surveillance equipment that might be used to try and quickly find the sniper within moments of a next attack. In addition, advanced communications gear will be used to allow the authorities to react faster.

Law enforcement authorities will request the equipment as needed but the military will have a tightly-controlled role. Troops will only operate the equipment, passing data to law enforcement authorities who would be alongside. It would be up to civilian authorities to chase and arrest any suspect.

Under the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, the military is prohibited from any role in domestic law enforcement. This is not the first time the military has assisted in law enforcement, however. For several years, troops have worked alongside civilian authorities in drug interdiction, looking for suspects but not participating in actual arrests.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: Now, Daryn, Pentagon officials are still very reluctant to talk about the very specific details of exactly how this equipment will be used, how much it will fly over the Washington, D.C. area, when it will fly, all of that. They don't want to jeopardize the investigation. But if the sniper strikes again, then the military is now ready to join the hunt -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Yes, Barbara, I was actually kind of curious how that would work, if this plane would be up in the air constantly? Again, I don't know if these are details you can release, but if it's not up in the air, this -- these events have happened so quickly, how would it be that a plane could get up quick enough to be of help?

STARR: Well you have, to use a cliche, just hit the nail on the head. The Pentagon has asked us not to talk about the very specific details of when the plane will be flying over the Washington, D.C. area. You know they do have some concerns that this might be someone who has a real understanding of military affairs, tactics and procedures and they just don't want to talk about too much of what they're planning to do.

KAGAN: The other thing that I find interesting that you explained in your piece there was the restrictions that the military is under, there's only so much they can do to get involved in civilian matters. Have you -- has it been explained to you? Are you able to share with us how a military personnel will relay the information so that actually it's not military people who are doing the arresting or going -- or crossing that line?

STARR: That's right. All the military can do under the law in this country is gather the data and pass it along to civilian law enforcement authorities. They can't even say to the civilian law enforcement there's your potential target because the U.S. military is not allowed to target civilians in this country.

The drug enforcement situation really provides the precedent for this. The U.S. military gathers a lot of surveillance and reconnaissance information along the borders and the waterways, you know, ports and harbors and that sort of thing, but it's only data gathering. They look for data. They look and conduct reconnaissance and surveillance. They don't point out targets. All of that is up to the civilian law enforcement authorities.

And you can be sure in this case they're going to be extremely careful, because if they are able to gather some information that is useful, they're going to want it to be admissible in any civilian criminal proceeding -- you know court proceeding eventually in this country. So an awful lot of attention is being paid to that Posse Comitatus law and making sure this is done exactly by the book.

KAGAN: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. Barbara, thank you so much.

Want to get more of the local flavor and more on this investigation and for that we want to bring in one of our colleagues at WTOP radio.

Today we are talking with Mike Moss. This is the news radio station here in the Washington, D.C. area and they have been very helpful as we've been bringing you coverage over the last two weeks.

Mike, good morning.

MIKE MOSS, WTOP RADIO: Good morning, Daryn, nice to be with you.

KAGAN: Seems like the lead story right now, besides the search for the killer, is the weather here in the Washington, D.C. area. As we have seen with last Friday, the weather is not necessarily a deterrent for the person that is running around doing these killings.

MOSS: No, absolutely not. As you look back on the last two weeks of terror that this whole region has felt, there seems to be no real pattern to anything. Whether he'd strike in the day, strike at night or whether in good weather or bad weather. Bad weather is no predictor in any fashion, it just creates even more traffic around here in an already congested area.

KAGAN: Another frustration from the shooting from two nights ago was it seemed like that the police had such a tight dragnet on the situation around that shopping center and yet the killer still got away. How are people reacting to being stuck in that kind of traffic and yet still not finding the killer?

MOSS: Well they're used to -- they're used to traffic around here, Daryn,...

KAGAN: Yes.

MOSS: ... and they don't like it ordinarily. But in circumstances like this, they put up with it and they have no problem with it whatsoever. As you can remember last Friday, tens of miles of Interstate 95, a very important north/south link, part of the interstate highway system, was blocked after the shooting in Massaponax and people put up with those delays for many hours without any questions.

But I think there are some questions about the dragnet itself. There are reports from some witnesses that in this last shooting that took place outside the Home Depot store in Falls Church, Virginia, that there were, in some cases, roads that were not closed down for up to 45 minutes. Now we were led to believe by police, at least immediately after the shooting, that they were very quick to shut these arteries off. But apparently, as some of these witnesses are claiming, that may not have been the case, and maybe the dragnet wasn't quite as sufficient as they'd hope it'd be.

KAGAN: One of the things that has been so heartbreaking about this story, for some reason, and I don't know how he does it, but the sniper seems to pick out incredible people leading remarkable lives and that has been consistent with the latest victim, Linda Franklin. What has WTOP been able to learn about her?

MOSS: She's just a wonderful person. Now here's a cancer survivor who has gotten on with her life. She's changed her career from education to the FBI. Liked by friends. Obviously loved by, not just her family, but the FBI family. This is a very hard loss for the entire community. And the FBI is a very close-knit family. There are many FBI families located in the Washington area where the headquarters is located. They're taking it very hard.

But every one of these losses has been powerful. Whether it was a cab driver or a mother, whoever it was, the randomness of it, these people did nothing in any way that should have provoked this kind of event in their lives. And to die as they have, so randomly, it's been a big part of the pain and the fright that people feel.

KAGAN: Mike Moss of WTOP, thank you to you and your colleagues. We appreciate your help once again, and I'm sure we'll be calling you as the day goes on.

MOSS: Sure, Daryn, any time.

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