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Debate Among Parents About Taking Kids to School
Aired October 23, 2002 - 14:08 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 LIN, CNN ANCHOR: CNN's Bob Franken also knows more about the communication that is now on going between the sniper and investigators.
Bob, we knew about the letter that was found in the Ashland, Virginia, location over the weekend, but you've been able to confirm that there is an additional note that was found around the vicinity of that bus stop in Aspen Hill.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, justice department correspondent Kelli Arena has been talking to sources close to the investigation who confirm that there was a letter very similar to the one that had been left behind at a shooting in Virginia on Saturday night. We'll get to that in a moment, that it was left not in this immediate area that we are, where officials believe that the sniper killed Conrad Johnson, this particular area, but an area adjacent, meaning it could be across that bike path down there, or could have been left along the road that he used for an escape, whatever one that is. That is about all they're telling about this one.
But we have all kinds of other information about the letter that was left behind on Saturday night. It was left behind the Ponderosa, where there was another shooting -- make that Saturday night, when there was that other shooting, as I pointed out. That is the letter where there's been a description where the threats of children have been in it. It was wrapped in plastic, according to law enforcement sources. Documented in this letter six instances in which the person who wrote it said that he had been hung up on. As a matter of fact, he said because quote, "incompetent," close quote officials, "five people had to die." That was wording that was in the letter according to the law enforcement sources.
He went on to say, "I am God, which you will recognize as the phrasing that was on the tarot card that was found much earlier during this shooting spree." But officials say it was not the same handwriting as on that tarot card, but there was language which suggests that this was the person who, in fact, had left the tarot card.
Now, there was also another thing. The handwriting, as I said, didn't match, but there's a request for a $10 million amount of money to be deposited in an account, according to this letter, with the ability to immediately withdraw it.
Of course we heard yesterday when the police chief came out last night and said that they were not able to technically pull this off, if they wanted to continue their communication.
Finally, in the letter that was left Saturday night, there was a request, a request not to disclose its contents to the media, where subsequent events, including the shooting that occurred here, has caused -- they have caused that to be disclosed, and so that's where things are. But the latest is another letter, that we're told was similar to the first one -- Carol.
LIN: Bob, are investigators linking yesterday's shooting as being a consequence to not meeting the demands of the letter found over the weekend?
FRANKEN: Well, there is a fear that that's the case. That came up as you know in the briefing, and the police really didn't have much to say about that. But it is a fact that they are very concerned about any sort of provocation, anything that they might do, anything that might be reported which provokes them, any language that might be used. As they've learned, whatever happens, there are deadly consequences when they don't catch the sniper when they don't in fact keep this person from deciding that he's going to go out and do his terrible work again.
LIN: Bob, it looks like you're standing out in the woods there. Have you been able to work it so that you have an idea of what the sniper's path was when he was aiming at Conrad Johnson?
FRANKEN: If I may ask you to turn around, and there's going to be a slight flair of light. From where we are standing is the bus stop. This particular area is considered the vantage point, where under the cover of the darkness, under the cover of all this underbrush, the sniper would have shot Conrad Johnson to death. From a distance, that's fairly close.
Now I'm going to ask that we go back the other way. You will see there is a bike path down there. And it would appear that the escape route was, he fired his shot and went either direction on the bike path in which he could have affected a quick escape. It is, once again, evidence that this person, before he actually does the horrible thing that he does, figures out a way that he can get a way while people are still shocked and not really looking at anything, but the horrible work that he's done.
LIN: And we've seen this before, Bob, in some of the other shootings, the same scenario, the same careful planning.
Thank you very much, Bob Franken, reporting live from Aspen Hill.
Well, we did see in Bob's live shot that there are some people out and about, and it's true, when you go around, you do see people going about their business. But there was a lot of debate among several parents, especially after the specifically worded threat against kids, in the letter found over the weekend, that parents may not be taking their kids to school today.
Michael Okwu is in Fairfax County. He's been investigating this.
Michael, I understand school's about to let out there.
MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right, Carol.
I'm here in Fairfax County, and just moments ago, some of the schools started letting some of their students out of school. There was a line of buses that just left here. It was interesting because in each bus there may be about four kids per bus, which suggests perhaps that attendance was low. We don't know the numbers yet. But if yesterday was any guide in Montgomery County, it appears that some parents were not going to let their kids come back to school until after the sniper was caught, unclear whether that happened today in Fairfax County.
Just behind me, you can see a security vehicle. This is just one of several marked and unmarked security vehicles that we have seen throughout the course of the day. And, Carol, throughout the course of the morning and the afternoon, we've been trying to show our viewers the topography and the landscape here, because it is very typical of suburban D.C. schools, basically buildings set up against a line of trees, and all day, we've been talking to parents and students who have told us they are very concerned every time they come to school now and see that forestry, largely because of the threatening message that we heard about just yesterday.
As a matter of fact, earlier this morning, a flight of Guardian Angels, if you will, descended in Fairfax County, essentially patrolling the woods, acting as deterrents, and also looking for anything suspicious.
It is really unusual that the woods would be associated with such danger, but that's, in fact, what's happened 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 23, 2002 - 14:08 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: CNN's Bob Franken also knows more about the communication that is now on going between the sniper and investigators.
Bob, we knew about the letter that was found in the Ashland, Virginia, location over the weekend, but you've been able to confirm that there is an additional note that was found around the vicinity of that bus stop in Aspen Hill.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, justice department correspondent Kelli Arena has been talking to sources close to the investigation who confirm that there was a letter very similar to the one that had been left behind at a shooting in Virginia on Saturday night. We'll get to that in a moment, that it was left not in this immediate area that we are, where officials believe that the sniper killed Conrad Johnson, this particular area, but an area adjacent, meaning it could be across that bike path down there, or could have been left along the road that he used for an escape, whatever one that is. That is about all they're telling about this one.
But we have all kinds of other information about the letter that was left behind on Saturday night. It was left behind the Ponderosa, where there was another shooting -- make that Saturday night, when there was that other shooting, as I pointed out. That is the letter where there's been a description where the threats of children have been in it. It was wrapped in plastic, according to law enforcement sources. Documented in this letter six instances in which the person who wrote it said that he had been hung up on. As a matter of fact, he said because quote, "incompetent," close quote officials, "five people had to die." That was wording that was in the letter according to the law enforcement sources.
He went on to say, "I am God, which you will recognize as the phrasing that was on the tarot card that was found much earlier during this shooting spree." But officials say it was not the same handwriting as on that tarot card, but there was language which suggests that this was the person who, in fact, had left the tarot card.
Now, there was also another thing. The handwriting, as I said, didn't match, but there's a request for a $10 million amount of money to be deposited in an account, according to this letter, with the ability to immediately withdraw it.
Of course we heard yesterday when the police chief came out last night and said that they were not able to technically pull this off, if they wanted to continue their communication.
Finally, in the letter that was left Saturday night, there was a request, a request not to disclose its contents to the media, where subsequent events, including the shooting that occurred here, has caused -- they have caused that to be disclosed, and so that's where things are. But the latest is another letter, that we're told was similar to the first one -- Carol.
LIN: Bob, are investigators linking yesterday's shooting as being a consequence to not meeting the demands of the letter found over the weekend?
FRANKEN: Well, there is a fear that that's the case. That came up as you know in the briefing, and the police really didn't have much to say about that. But it is a fact that they are very concerned about any sort of provocation, anything that they might do, anything that might be reported which provokes them, any language that might be used. As they've learned, whatever happens, there are deadly consequences when they don't catch the sniper when they don't in fact keep this person from deciding that he's going to go out and do his terrible work again.
LIN: Bob, it looks like you're standing out in the woods there. Have you been able to work it so that you have an idea of what the sniper's path was when he was aiming at Conrad Johnson?
FRANKEN: If I may ask you to turn around, and there's going to be a slight flair of light. From where we are standing is the bus stop. This particular area is considered the vantage point, where under the cover of the darkness, under the cover of all this underbrush, the sniper would have shot Conrad Johnson to death. From a distance, that's fairly close.
Now I'm going to ask that we go back the other way. You will see there is a bike path down there. And it would appear that the escape route was, he fired his shot and went either direction on the bike path in which he could have affected a quick escape. It is, once again, evidence that this person, before he actually does the horrible thing that he does, figures out a way that he can get a way while people are still shocked and not really looking at anything, but the horrible work that he's done.
LIN: And we've seen this before, Bob, in some of the other shootings, the same scenario, the same careful planning.
Thank you very much, Bob Franken, reporting live from Aspen Hill.
Well, we did see in Bob's live shot that there are some people out and about, and it's true, when you go around, you do see people going about their business. But there was a lot of debate among several parents, especially after the specifically worded threat against kids, in the letter found over the weekend, that parents may not be taking their kids to school today.
Michael Okwu is in Fairfax County. He's been investigating this.
Michael, I understand school's about to let out there.
MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right, Carol.
I'm here in Fairfax County, and just moments ago, some of the schools started letting some of their students out of school. There was a line of buses that just left here. It was interesting because in each bus there may be about four kids per bus, which suggests perhaps that attendance was low. We don't know the numbers yet. But if yesterday was any guide in Montgomery County, it appears that some parents were not going to let their kids come back to school until after the sniper was caught, unclear whether that happened today in Fairfax County.
Just behind me, you can see a security vehicle. This is just one of several marked and unmarked security vehicles that we have seen throughout the course of the day. And, Carol, throughout the course of the morning and the afternoon, we've been trying to show our viewers the topography and the landscape here, because it is very typical of suburban D.C. schools, basically buildings set up against a line of trees, and all day, we've been talking to parents and students who have told us they are very concerned every time they come to school now and see that forestry, largely because of the threatening message that we heard about just yesterday.
As a matter of fact, earlier this morning, a flight of Guardian Angels, if you will, descended in Fairfax County, essentially patrolling the woods, acting as deterrents, and also looking for anything suspicious.
It is really unusual that the woods would be associated with such danger, but that's, in fact, what's happened 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
