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West Virginia Sniper on the Loose?
Aired August 18, 2003 - 12:59 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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: First this hour, fears of another sniper spree. This time, West Virginia. Three seemingly random killings in the past eight days and some eerie similarities to the weeks of terror that paralyzed the nation's capital last fall.
CNN's Art Harris has arrived in West Virginia. We have his account from Charleston.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHIEF PHIL MORRIS, KANAWHA CO., WEST VIRGINIA: It does appear to be a random type act.
ART HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A young mother pumping gas. A young father buying milk. A man on a telephone. Each killed by a single shot, late at night outside a convenience store.
The mother had turned away to pay when a shot came out of the dark. Witnesses saw no one.
MORRIS: She was on the other side of the gas pumps, and the shooter had to be in the street, in the road area.
HARRIS: She was apparently shot with the same rifle used to kill the first victim four nights earlier.
MORRIS: Both bullets are a smaller caliber and have the same characteristics.
HARRIS: An hour after the mother died, 12 miles away, another shot, another murder. This time, a woman, talking on a pay phone a few feet away, saw a black pickup truck with an extended cab and gold trim.
MORRIS: It is our belief the shooter made the shot from inside the truck, due to the fact that immediately after the shot, the truck sped away with the tires spinning.
HARRIS: No shell casings were found at either scene. Police believe they're hunting an unseen killer who fires from inside a dark pickup with tinted glass.
WILLIAM SCHWAB, VICTIM'S UNCLE: You've got to be a coward to shoot someone, to kill someone, I mean, for no reason. You know, you don't take another person's life. HARRIS: William Schwab, a relative of the latest victim, fears a copycat of the Washington, D.C. sniper attacks has come calling on the countryside.
SCHWAB: This guy is just on a rampage. He's going to take anybody's life that he wants to. And it's a game to him. He has an old god complex now. This guy is going to take the next person out, and he's going to keep doing this until he gets caught.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Witnesses are certain they saw a black pickup truck outside the convenience store, where the last victim was gunned down, Miles. But it may be hard to find, because not only does the mayor drive one, but at least two police officers here on the Charleston, West Virginia police force drive black pickups, too.
Now, another development. There was just two hours ago funerals in separate places for the two recent victims -- one, Okey Meadows, a 26-year-old Air Force veteran, father of a 3-year-old boy; and another funeral for Jeanie Patton, who was 31, a mother of a son, teenager, 14 years old. Their funerals were just two hours ago -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: CNN's Art Harris.
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 August 18, 2003 - 12:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: First this hour, fears of another sniper spree. This time, West Virginia. Three seemingly random killings in the past eight days and some eerie similarities to the weeks of terror that paralyzed the nation's capital last fall.
CNN's Art Harris has arrived in West Virginia. We have his account from Charleston.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHIEF PHIL MORRIS, KANAWHA CO., WEST VIRGINIA: It does appear to be a random type act.
ART HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A young mother pumping gas. A young father buying milk. A man on a telephone. Each killed by a single shot, late at night outside a convenience store.
The mother had turned away to pay when a shot came out of the dark. Witnesses saw no one.
MORRIS: She was on the other side of the gas pumps, and the shooter had to be in the street, in the road area.
HARRIS: She was apparently shot with the same rifle used to kill the first victim four nights earlier.
MORRIS: Both bullets are a smaller caliber and have the same characteristics.
HARRIS: An hour after the mother died, 12 miles away, another shot, another murder. This time, a woman, talking on a pay phone a few feet away, saw a black pickup truck with an extended cab and gold trim.
MORRIS: It is our belief the shooter made the shot from inside the truck, due to the fact that immediately after the shot, the truck sped away with the tires spinning.
HARRIS: No shell casings were found at either scene. Police believe they're hunting an unseen killer who fires from inside a dark pickup with tinted glass.
WILLIAM SCHWAB, VICTIM'S UNCLE: You've got to be a coward to shoot someone, to kill someone, I mean, for no reason. You know, you don't take another person's life. HARRIS: William Schwab, a relative of the latest victim, fears a copycat of the Washington, D.C. sniper attacks has come calling on the countryside.
SCHWAB: This guy is just on a rampage. He's going to take anybody's life that he wants to. And it's a game to him. He has an old god complex now. This guy is going to take the next person out, and he's going to keep doing this until he gets caught.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Witnesses are certain they saw a black pickup truck outside the convenience store, where the last victim was gunned down, Miles. But it may be hard to find, because not only does the mayor drive one, but at least two police officers here on the Charleston, West Virginia police force drive black pickups, too.
Now, another development. There was just two hours ago funerals in separate places for the two recent victims -- one, Okey Meadows, a 26-year-old Air Force veteran, father of a 3-year-old boy; and another funeral for Jeanie Patton, who was 31, a mother of a son, teenager, 14 years old. Their funerals were just two hours ago -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: CNN's Art Harris.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
