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Eyewitness Describes Sniper Arrest
Aired October 21, 2002 - 09:51 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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Ari Dotson (ph), are you still with us?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I'm here.
ZAHN: Tell us what you've seen in the last couple of minutes since we left you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have state police surrounding the place now. There are, it looks like, military. I don't know if they're police officers or what, with high-powered rifle walking around even across the street. It's pretty much a scary place to be right now.
ZAHN: I can't imagine, especially when you hear what some of our experts are saying.
Once again, CNN can now confirm that they have, the police officials there, one man in custody. Kinds of hard to tell who's heading up the investigation at this hour. But based on what Ari's (ph), a couple of our experts, it looks like a large presence of the local police there and Kelly suggesting some federal involvement here as well.
Ari (ph), could you see anybody being taken from the scene? Have you seen any vehicles leaving the area that has been cordoned off?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I have not. It looks like everybody is still in place, and nobody's moved. You know, it's a lot of -- a lot of foot traffic from the local, state, and, as I say, it looks like federal police, or some kind of federal agency, with high-powered rifles and SWAT gear and camouflage, that kind of thing.
ZAHN: A moment ago, Ari (ph), we were getting probably the best shot we could show in the proximity of the Exxon station to the phone booth. Once again, we're not able to screen the stuff ahead of time. But you just saw some officers at the gas pump there.
Once again, distancewise, Ari (ph), between the Exxon station, the phone booth and van, walk through all of that for us. We can see the van now parked alongside the phone booth.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) I couldn't hear you.
ZAHN: We are getting our first look what appears to be the white Astrovan with the phone booth on the driver's side of the van, all of this to the left side of the Exxon gas station that you describe. I didn't realize how close together this all was.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, they are very close.
ZAHN: And the helicopter, I know you said, just drowned you out. Feel free to share with us anything else you are seeing right now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like I say, nobody seems to be moving. As I say, there are police everywhere, on all four corners. You know, they are in and out of cars. I'm standing here looking at a police officer directly across the street in camouflage gear with the high-powered rifle, just looking like he's ready to pounce on anybody and anything.
ZAHN: How far are you guys from Ashland there? About 15 miles?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's about 15 miles, yes.
ZAHN: And Richmond 15 miles south of the latest shooting that police are assuming is related to the sniper. Doctors successfully removed fragments of the bullet from the victim who was hit Saturday night. They have not conclusively linked the two, but they say until they hear otherwise, they will assume Saturday night's shooting was related to this.
Kelly McCann, I want to explain to our viewers why we keep seeing people we might not have seen on television before popping on to the screen. We are alternating back and forth between feeds from the local affiliates, who have a lot of resources in place. So you are seeing mostly WRIC video.
Anything you want to add here, Kelly?
KELLY MCCANN, CNN ANALYST: Yes, Paula, what we just saw there in one of the clips was them recording videotape current state evidence; in other words, before anything could be altered, moved, touched, checked or anything, you saw the -- I think it was the -- state trooper, had the shoulder-mounted camera. And what he was doing was creating a video record of the state they found the vehicle in. Now they're starting to document exactly a substantiated case, should it be or turn out that it's the sniper. So you are seeing good work here.
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 21, 2002 - 09:51 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Ari Dotson (ph), are you still with us?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I'm here.
ZAHN: Tell us what you've seen in the last couple of minutes since we left you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have state police surrounding the place now. There are, it looks like, military. I don't know if they're police officers or what, with high-powered rifle walking around even across the street. It's pretty much a scary place to be right now.
ZAHN: I can't imagine, especially when you hear what some of our experts are saying.
Once again, CNN can now confirm that they have, the police officials there, one man in custody. Kinds of hard to tell who's heading up the investigation at this hour. But based on what Ari's (ph), a couple of our experts, it looks like a large presence of the local police there and Kelly suggesting some federal involvement here as well.
Ari (ph), could you see anybody being taken from the scene? Have you seen any vehicles leaving the area that has been cordoned off?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I have not. It looks like everybody is still in place, and nobody's moved. You know, it's a lot of -- a lot of foot traffic from the local, state, and, as I say, it looks like federal police, or some kind of federal agency, with high-powered rifles and SWAT gear and camouflage, that kind of thing.
ZAHN: A moment ago, Ari (ph), we were getting probably the best shot we could show in the proximity of the Exxon station to the phone booth. Once again, we're not able to screen the stuff ahead of time. But you just saw some officers at the gas pump there.
Once again, distancewise, Ari (ph), between the Exxon station, the phone booth and van, walk through all of that for us. We can see the van now parked alongside the phone booth.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) I couldn't hear you.
ZAHN: We are getting our first look what appears to be the white Astrovan with the phone booth on the driver's side of the van, all of this to the left side of the Exxon gas station that you describe. I didn't realize how close together this all was.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, they are very close.
ZAHN: And the helicopter, I know you said, just drowned you out. Feel free to share with us anything else you are seeing right now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like I say, nobody seems to be moving. As I say, there are police everywhere, on all four corners. You know, they are in and out of cars. I'm standing here looking at a police officer directly across the street in camouflage gear with the high-powered rifle, just looking like he's ready to pounce on anybody and anything.
ZAHN: How far are you guys from Ashland there? About 15 miles?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's about 15 miles, yes.
ZAHN: And Richmond 15 miles south of the latest shooting that police are assuming is related to the sniper. Doctors successfully removed fragments of the bullet from the victim who was hit Saturday night. They have not conclusively linked the two, but they say until they hear otherwise, they will assume Saturday night's shooting was related to this.
Kelly McCann, I want to explain to our viewers why we keep seeing people we might not have seen on television before popping on to the screen. We are alternating back and forth between feeds from the local affiliates, who have a lot of resources in place. So you are seeing mostly WRIC video.
Anything you want to add here, Kelly?
KELLY MCCANN, CNN ANALYST: Yes, Paula, what we just saw there in one of the clips was them recording videotape current state evidence; in other words, before anything could be altered, moved, touched, checked or anything, you saw the -- I think it was the -- state trooper, had the shoulder-mounted camera. And what he was doing was creating a video record of the state they found the vehicle in. Now they're starting to document exactly a substantiated case, should it be or turn out that it's the sniper. So you are seeing good work here.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
