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American Morning
Interview With Clint Van Zandt
Aired October 07, 2002 - 07:18 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Who could be behind the killing spree?
Clint Van Zandt is a former FBI profiler, 25 years of experience, joins us live now from Washington for a closer look at who this man might be.
Good morning -- good to see you.
CLINT VAN ZANDT, FORMER FBI PROFILER: Hi, Bill. Good to see you.
HEMMER: You describe this person in a couple of ways. You say they are white males, and you say there are two of them. You also say they're somewhere between the ages of 18 and 30.
Why so sure of this?
VAN ZANDT: Well, it's not so sure of this. We're talking statistics. You know, if -- we have to go, Bill, with statistical probabilities to start to create some profile. But again, I think that's why the FBI has been reticent to generate an official profile, because they don't want the public to start self-eliminating.
In essence, if you tell me an Asian or an African-American, who is 35 years old, likes to practice targeting shooting with a .223 rifle and doesn't really care about the pain that other people suffer, lives in that area and had a recent tragedy in his life, I'd be very interested in that person. And I would not want the public to say, well, he doesn't meet the FBI profile of a white male.
So, a profile helps you to start narrowing down the population group, but this case is going to be broken in two ways. No. 1, somebody in the public is going to call, and No. 2, an investigator who is burning shoe leather is going to get out on the street and run that lead down and get this monster in jail.
HEMMER: Tell us this: When it appears to be so random -- I'll just tick off a few things here: No witnesses; the victims are not linked by age or sex or race.
VAN ZANDT: Right.
HEMMER: When it is that random, how complicated does it become, then?
VAN ZANDT: Well, No. 1, there is always order in chaos. It's just like the geographic profilers are looking right now. I mean, they're using computers where we used to just kind of do it by dead reckoning.
In essence, up in Montgomery County, you look at north, south, east, west, you draw a line, you say, where is the epicenter of this crime?
What you wind up with, Bill, many times when you get a predator like this, this type of individual usually starts out in an area that he knows and he's comfortable in. He knows the one-way streets in and out. He knows the main arteries of traffic. So, this is where the investigation is going to be concentrated.
I live in Spotsylvania, County. I was at the crime scene yesterday where the shooting took place, where the 34-year-old mother of two was shot in the back by this coward. So, I know where the shot was made. It wasn't that long a shot. One would not have to be an expert marksman to do it.
But why Fredericksburg? I think this guy ran south a little bit, made this shot to try to make us think he was moving further south. I think that's a red herring, and I think he's probably back up in that northern Washington-Montgomery County area.
HEMMER: Clint Van Zandt, thanks for your time. Also Douglas Duncan a short time ago in Montgomery County. We'll talk again. Thank you, sir.
VAN ZANDT: Thanks, Bill.
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 7, 2002 - 07:18 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Who could be behind the killing spree?
Clint Van Zandt is a former FBI profiler, 25 years of experience, joins us live now from Washington for a closer look at who this man might be.
Good morning -- good to see you.
CLINT VAN ZANDT, FORMER FBI PROFILER: Hi, Bill. Good to see you.
HEMMER: You describe this person in a couple of ways. You say they are white males, and you say there are two of them. You also say they're somewhere between the ages of 18 and 30.
Why so sure of this?
VAN ZANDT: Well, it's not so sure of this. We're talking statistics. You know, if -- we have to go, Bill, with statistical probabilities to start to create some profile. But again, I think that's why the FBI has been reticent to generate an official profile, because they don't want the public to start self-eliminating.
In essence, if you tell me an Asian or an African-American, who is 35 years old, likes to practice targeting shooting with a .223 rifle and doesn't really care about the pain that other people suffer, lives in that area and had a recent tragedy in his life, I'd be very interested in that person. And I would not want the public to say, well, he doesn't meet the FBI profile of a white male.
So, a profile helps you to start narrowing down the population group, but this case is going to be broken in two ways. No. 1, somebody in the public is going to call, and No. 2, an investigator who is burning shoe leather is going to get out on the street and run that lead down and get this monster in jail.
HEMMER: Tell us this: When it appears to be so random -- I'll just tick off a few things here: No witnesses; the victims are not linked by age or sex or race.
VAN ZANDT: Right.
HEMMER: When it is that random, how complicated does it become, then?
VAN ZANDT: Well, No. 1, there is always order in chaos. It's just like the geographic profilers are looking right now. I mean, they're using computers where we used to just kind of do it by dead reckoning.
In essence, up in Montgomery County, you look at north, south, east, west, you draw a line, you say, where is the epicenter of this crime?
What you wind up with, Bill, many times when you get a predator like this, this type of individual usually starts out in an area that he knows and he's comfortable in. He knows the one-way streets in and out. He knows the main arteries of traffic. So, this is where the investigation is going to be concentrated.
I live in Spotsylvania, County. I was at the crime scene yesterday where the shooting took place, where the 34-year-old mother of two was shot in the back by this coward. So, I know where the shot was made. It wasn't that long a shot. One would not have to be an expert marksman to do it.
But why Fredericksburg? I think this guy ran south a little bit, made this shot to try to make us think he was moving further south. I think that's a red herring, and I think he's probably back up in that northern Washington-Montgomery County area.
HEMMER: Clint Van Zandt, thanks for your time. Also Douglas Duncan a short time ago in Montgomery County. We'll talk again. Thank you, sir.
VAN ZANDT: Thanks, Bill.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
