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CNN Live Today

Interview With Bill Brigge

Aired December 02, 2003 - 11:08   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: Also in Ohio authorities hope a $10,000 reward will help solve a string of shootings along a stretch of highway in Columbus. A 62-year-old woman was killed a week ago when a bullet tore through the car she was riding in.
Businesses in the area are now offering a reward for information leading to an arrest and indictment. The shooting is one of 11 along Interstate-270 in Columbus. Truck driver Bill Brigge says his rig was hit by a gunshot on October 19. He joins us by phone from Columbus. Welcome, Bill.

BILL BRIGGE, OHIO SHOOTINGS VICTIM: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Take us back to that night and what happened. You're driving home to Hilliard after your shift and what happens?

BRIGGE: Well, I was coming back from Roanoke, Virginia with a set of empties in the trailers. and I was almost home and all of a sudden it was like a loud explosion in the window, the driver's door window blew in on me. The glass completely shattered and everything.

COSTELLO: How frightening. You were quoted, Bill, saying, "I'm an old Vietnam vet and my instincts kicked right in. We were always trained to drive through an ambush, so I just gunned it."

BRIGGE: That's exactly what happened. And I got about half mile, three-quarters mile up the road. I'm doing a lot of thinking, thinking fast. And I said, Maybe somebody threw a rock or something. I was looking around for a rock, couldn't find anything.

I was only a couple miles from the terminal. So I figured I'll drive into the terminal and report it. I pulled into the shop and reported to the shop foreman. And he looked said, We'll just write. I went around the other side of the tractor to open the passenger side door to get my gear out and it would only open six or eight inches.

And I looked up and the weather stripping from the frame of the truck was stuck to the door. When I gave a pull on it, it came loose and a bullet fell out. At that time I called the police.

COSTELLO: You've got to be kidding. So did the bullet whiz right past you, your head?

BRIGGE: We figured within no more than two, three inches away.

COSTELLO: How frightening. And when you saw a bullet there, what went through your mind? BRIGGE: How fortunate that I was that it missed, first. Then it kind of made me mad.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: So when you reported to it the police, how did they respond?

BRIGGE: Well, we were together about two hours. And I thought they did a pretty thorough investigation with what they had to go on. There had been no other reportings of any shootings over there. We just figured it was a random shot from somewhere. And he said it would probably be an open and shut case.

And until this poor Mrs. Knisley got hit the other day, there wasn't anything else said about it. And all of a sudden everybody is talking about it. There have been ten others now that have been shot at.

COSTELLO: Now since police were able to recover evidence, do you know if your shooting -- if the bullet came from the same gun that killed that 62-year-old woman on I-270?

BRIGGE: I'm not really sure because the way I understand it, there was at least one other person that turned in a bullet. And they have matched the bullets with the one that killed Ms. Knisley and one of the other ones that was turned in. The task force announced that the other day that they have made a match on it.

COSTELLO: And a final question for you, Bill. When you're out driving your rig now, is there a certain fear? Do your neighbors share it? What's the mood out there?

BRIGGE: A lot of people are nervous. I went back to work the next day and went right past it. But to be honest with you, deer season started today up here in southern Ohio. When I drove through I was a little more nervous about that than I was coming back around 270.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: Well you're a braver man than I. Bill Brigge, thank you for joining us this morning.

BRIGGE: You're welcome.

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 December 2, 2003 - 11:08   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Also in Ohio authorities hope a $10,000 reward will help solve a string of shootings along a stretch of highway in Columbus. A 62-year-old woman was killed a week ago when a bullet tore through the car she was riding in.
Businesses in the area are now offering a reward for information leading to an arrest and indictment. The shooting is one of 11 along Interstate-270 in Columbus. Truck driver Bill Brigge says his rig was hit by a gunshot on October 19. He joins us by phone from Columbus. Welcome, Bill.

BILL BRIGGE, OHIO SHOOTINGS VICTIM: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Take us back to that night and what happened. You're driving home to Hilliard after your shift and what happens?

BRIGGE: Well, I was coming back from Roanoke, Virginia with a set of empties in the trailers. and I was almost home and all of a sudden it was like a loud explosion in the window, the driver's door window blew in on me. The glass completely shattered and everything.

COSTELLO: How frightening. You were quoted, Bill, saying, "I'm an old Vietnam vet and my instincts kicked right in. We were always trained to drive through an ambush, so I just gunned it."

BRIGGE: That's exactly what happened. And I got about half mile, three-quarters mile up the road. I'm doing a lot of thinking, thinking fast. And I said, Maybe somebody threw a rock or something. I was looking around for a rock, couldn't find anything.

I was only a couple miles from the terminal. So I figured I'll drive into the terminal and report it. I pulled into the shop and reported to the shop foreman. And he looked said, We'll just write. I went around the other side of the tractor to open the passenger side door to get my gear out and it would only open six or eight inches.

And I looked up and the weather stripping from the frame of the truck was stuck to the door. When I gave a pull on it, it came loose and a bullet fell out. At that time I called the police.

COSTELLO: You've got to be kidding. So did the bullet whiz right past you, your head?

BRIGGE: We figured within no more than two, three inches away.

COSTELLO: How frightening. And when you saw a bullet there, what went through your mind? BRIGGE: How fortunate that I was that it missed, first. Then it kind of made me mad.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: So when you reported to it the police, how did they respond?

BRIGGE: Well, we were together about two hours. And I thought they did a pretty thorough investigation with what they had to go on. There had been no other reportings of any shootings over there. We just figured it was a random shot from somewhere. And he said it would probably be an open and shut case.

And until this poor Mrs. Knisley got hit the other day, there wasn't anything else said about it. And all of a sudden everybody is talking about it. There have been ten others now that have been shot at.

COSTELLO: Now since police were able to recover evidence, do you know if your shooting -- if the bullet came from the same gun that killed that 62-year-old woman on I-270?

BRIGGE: I'm not really sure because the way I understand it, there was at least one other person that turned in a bullet. And they have matched the bullets with the one that killed Ms. Knisley and one of the other ones that was turned in. The task force announced that the other day that they have made a match on it.

COSTELLO: And a final question for you, Bill. When you're out driving your rig now, is there a certain fear? Do your neighbors share it? What's the mood out there?

BRIGGE: A lot of people are nervous. I went back to work the next day and went right past it. But to be honest with you, deer season started today up here in southern Ohio. When I drove through I was a little more nervous about that than I was coming back around 270.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: Well you're a braver man than I. Bill Brigge, thank you for joining us this morning.

BRIGGE: You're welcome.

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