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American Morning
Interview with Richard Pennington
Aired November 08, 2002 - 09:17 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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Sniper suspects John Muhammad and John Malvo may have been using a stolen laptop computer to get maps of the area where the shootings occurred. Several published reports today say they may have also been keeping a diary in the computer with details of the crimes that they had been charged with.
Meanwhile, ballistic tests in Atlanta link a handgun used in the fatal shooting there on September 21 to Muhammad and Malvo.
We have with us now Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington, joining us from Atlanta -- chief, good morning.
CHIEF RICHARD PENNINGTON, ATLANTA POLICE: Good morning.
KAGAN: Can you tell us what first led you to suspect that this crime, this murder, might have been linked to Malvo and Muhammad?
PENNINGTON: Well, actually, it was good police work. One of my homicide detectives was able to ascertain that a handgun was used at a homicide scene at a liquor store in southwest Atlanta.
This detective was able to do some research, to ascertain that a handgun was used in Montgomery, Alabama, by the suspects Muhammad and Malvo. He was smart enough to get the ballistics, send it to the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, through our Georgia Bureau of Investigation and then, subsequently, we ascertained that the ballistics matched the handgun that was used in the city of Montgomery.
KAGAN: Chief, we've been talking all morning long about this laptop that supposedly was found in the car in which the two suspects were captured.
Has your department received any information -- information about that shooting was included on that laptop?
PENNINGTON: No, we haven't received any information about that. But we are in the process of notifying the other police chiefs along the routes from Atlanta to Montgomery, Alabama to see -- to ascertain whether or not any handguns or open homicide cases have occurred during that time span.
We will be contacting the task force in Montgomery County. I've had direct dialogue with Chief Moose, and we are working closely with the task force.
KAGAN: And in fact, the shooting on September 21 in Atlanta, timing-wise, is very close to what happened of what the suspects are accused of doing in Montgomery, Alabama.
PENNINGTON: Yes. That's true. Our murder happened about 12:15 a.m. on September the 21, and about 18 hours later, these individuals committed a murder in Montgomery, Alabama. So the trail and the path led from Atlanta, right to Montgomery, Alabama.
So we are now in the process of going back, contacting chiefs along the route to see if these individuals could have possibly committed any other murders along the route.
KAGAN: Well, chief, what about right there in Atlanta? Isn't it possible if they spent more time there, that they are responsible for more crimes?
PENNINGTON: Yes. In fact, we are going back, looking at our open cases, murder cases. I have homicide investigators doing that as I speak.
We are going to go back and thoroughly review all of the open cases from that time span, and even further back, because it could be a possibility they could have committed some other crimes while they were here in this city.
KAGAN: Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington, sir, thanks for your time this morning, much appreciated.
PENNINGTON: Thank you.
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 November 8, 2002 - 09:17 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Sniper suspects John Muhammad and John Malvo may have been using a stolen laptop computer to get maps of the area where the shootings occurred. Several published reports today say they may have also been keeping a diary in the computer with details of the crimes that they had been charged with.
Meanwhile, ballistic tests in Atlanta link a handgun used in the fatal shooting there on September 21 to Muhammad and Malvo.
We have with us now Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington, joining us from Atlanta -- chief, good morning.
CHIEF RICHARD PENNINGTON, ATLANTA POLICE: Good morning.
KAGAN: Can you tell us what first led you to suspect that this crime, this murder, might have been linked to Malvo and Muhammad?
PENNINGTON: Well, actually, it was good police work. One of my homicide detectives was able to ascertain that a handgun was used at a homicide scene at a liquor store in southwest Atlanta.
This detective was able to do some research, to ascertain that a handgun was used in Montgomery, Alabama, by the suspects Muhammad and Malvo. He was smart enough to get the ballistics, send it to the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, through our Georgia Bureau of Investigation and then, subsequently, we ascertained that the ballistics matched the handgun that was used in the city of Montgomery.
KAGAN: Chief, we've been talking all morning long about this laptop that supposedly was found in the car in which the two suspects were captured.
Has your department received any information -- information about that shooting was included on that laptop?
PENNINGTON: No, we haven't received any information about that. But we are in the process of notifying the other police chiefs along the routes from Atlanta to Montgomery, Alabama to see -- to ascertain whether or not any handguns or open homicide cases have occurred during that time span.
We will be contacting the task force in Montgomery County. I've had direct dialogue with Chief Moose, and we are working closely with the task force.
KAGAN: And in fact, the shooting on September 21 in Atlanta, timing-wise, is very close to what happened of what the suspects are accused of doing in Montgomery, Alabama.
PENNINGTON: Yes. That's true. Our murder happened about 12:15 a.m. on September the 21, and about 18 hours later, these individuals committed a murder in Montgomery, Alabama. So the trail and the path led from Atlanta, right to Montgomery, Alabama.
So we are now in the process of going back, contacting chiefs along the route to see if these individuals could have possibly committed any other murders along the route.
KAGAN: Well, chief, what about right there in Atlanta? Isn't it possible if they spent more time there, that they are responsible for more crimes?
PENNINGTON: Yes. In fact, we are going back, looking at our open cases, murder cases. I have homicide investigators doing that as I speak.
We are going to go back and thoroughly review all of the open cases from that time span, and even further back, because it could be a possibility they could have committed some other crimes while they were here in this city.
KAGAN: Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington, sir, thanks for your time this morning, much appreciated.
PENNINGTON: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
