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CNN Saturday Morning News
Police Will Announce Today if Friday Shooting is Work of Sniper
Aired October 12, 2002 - 07:02 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.
THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to turn back now to our top story. Virginia authorities say they could release an answer later today on whether the man who was shot and killed at a gas station is indeed the eighth person to be killed by the D.C.-area sniper.
"The Washington Post" says evidence has already provided a positive link.
For the very latest on this developing story, we turn now to CNN's Daryn Kagan. She's in Montgomery County, Maryland, with more on this. And Daryn, we already have the confirmation of the ID of the victim in this, now we just wait for police to tell us whether or not it is the sniper that shot him.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Thomas, good morning to you, and good morning to you and Carol.
I want to show you first off the headlines that people are waking up to here this morning. Here's "The Washington Post," the front page. You've been talking about it, but let me show it to you. Top headline there, "Eighth Killing Linked to the Sniper," as Heidi was reporting, and as you mentioned. "The Washington Post" does say it has a police source saying that ballistics tests will indeed show that yesterday's shooting in Spotsylvania County was related to the other sniper shootings.
We expect to find out more about that at 9:30 a.m. Eastern, about -- a little bit more than two hours from now. That's when right here they're going to have the first news briefing of the day.
Also, we should have a chance to get more information at the bottom of this hour when I have a chance here to interview Doug Duncan, the executor for Montgomery County.
Here's what we do know. A 53-year-old man from Philadelphia, Kenneth Bridges, was on a business trip when he did what so many people do when they're in their car on a business trip. He stopped to get gas. And that led to the end of his life.
Our Charles Molineaux is at the Exxon gas station in Spotsylvania County. Just to give you your bearings, that's about 70 miles from where I sit right here in Montgomery County.
Charles, good morning.
CHARLES MOLINEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Daryn.
We've actually relocated to where Spotsylvania officials are going to be giving us an update at about 10:00 Eastern time. That'd be three hours from now. We're standing by for that to get underway shortly.
And of course what we're seeing here appears to be stark new evidence of just how wily and bold this sniper is, assuming this was another attack by the sniper, which does indeed now appear to be the case.
Keep in mind that this is the second time that he has come into this area. It is not as if the police were not up to speed and were not trying to be ready for this kind of thing. They were already here. In fact, within minutes of when yesterday's shooting happened, the cops were setting up the roadblocks, the dragnet was out.
And still the killer got away.
The victim's been identified as 53-year-old Kenneth Bridges from Philadelphia. He was a businessman with six kids. He was headed home from a trip. He stopped for gas, and he was shot.
Now, last night, a friend of his family told reporters the family's devastated and is hoping to see justice done.
Again, police found themselves looking for a white van. Witnesses near the scene say they heard the shot, then saw a van making a quick turn onto an I-95 entrance ramp. This looks to be the second time the sniper has hit in Spotsylvania County. This was the place where the sniper first moved out of that tight area in which the shootings have been taking place around Montgomery County, Maryland, and just inside of Washington, where the first six of the murders happened.
Remember, a week ago a woman was shot and wounded outside a mall here. This has made for some scary times in this area, especially area schools. We've actually got three schools lined up along U.S. 1 within easy access of two exits on I-95.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: We are very scared. Everybody's scared. We're scared to go the store, we're scared to pump gas.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: It's horrible. I moved here from Los Angeles, and I -- they had drive-by shooting there. And I thought this was a nice little town...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOLINEAUX: At Massaponax High School and several schools around the area, the SAT tests, which were supposed to be administered today, have now been put off, as have numerous events throughout the area as people are really getting scared. And something really demonstrating the boldness of this killer, Daryn, as we have been looking over the course of the past day, this shooting actually happened as a Virginia state trooper was working an accident right across the street from the gas station where Bridges was shot.
And this isn't even the first time that this shooter has acted apparently without concern about the proximity of the cops. The very first shooting on October 2 happened right across the street from a police district station. So a very bold killer indeed, Daryn.
KAGAN: And Charles, in fact, we're seeing -- and Charles, in fact, we're seeing a trend here. If you add up the numbers, this will be the ninth heavily -- ninth shooting in a heavily trafficked area, the fourth at a gas station, also, like three of the other shootings, this would be close to a highway interchange or place that would make for a quick and easy getaway.
MOLINEAUX: Actually, Daryn, with the exception of the first six murders, which happened, again, in that tightly grouped area in Maryland, in Montgomery County, and then just inside of Washington, D.C., all of the shootings happened within very easy access of an entrance ramp to a significant interstate or U.S. highway. Yes, this guy was looking for a getaway.
KAGAN: Absolutely. Charles Molineaux in Spotsylvania County, as you mentioned, 10:00 a.m. Eastern, that's when we expect the briefing from there, a half-hour earlier, we expect it from here in Montgomery County.
And as Thomas and Carol, as we toss it back to you, Charles touched on this a little bit, a big part of people's lives here and this weekend all around the D.C. area, basically, if you had a school activity and it was outdoors, it is canceled. It is not happening. And that includes basically your high school football games. There was supposed to be a huge soccer tournament for girls in the area here this weekend, that is canceled as well, people sticking very close to home.
Back to you.
ROBERTS: Yes, Daryn, so many people trying...
KAGAN: And also want to -- Sorry. Just want to let you know that at the bottom of the hour in about 20 minutes, I'll have the chance to talk with Doug Duncan. He is the executive of Montgomery County. We hope to get some information in advance of that news conference that's set for 9:30 a.m. Eastern.
ROBERTS: Yes, Daryn, as you point out, so many people trying to stay out of harm's way, yet no one knows what harm's way is right now. We'll be talking to you again. Our Daryn Kagan live for us this morning in Montgomery County, Maryland, 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
Sniper>
Aired October 12, 2002 - 07:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to turn back now to our top story. Virginia authorities say they could release an answer later today on whether the man who was shot and killed at a gas station is indeed the eighth person to be killed by the D.C.-area sniper.
"The Washington Post" says evidence has already provided a positive link.
For the very latest on this developing story, we turn now to CNN's Daryn Kagan. She's in Montgomery County, Maryland, with more on this. And Daryn, we already have the confirmation of the ID of the victim in this, now we just wait for police to tell us whether or not it is the sniper that shot him.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Thomas, good morning to you, and good morning to you and Carol.
I want to show you first off the headlines that people are waking up to here this morning. Here's "The Washington Post," the front page. You've been talking about it, but let me show it to you. Top headline there, "Eighth Killing Linked to the Sniper," as Heidi was reporting, and as you mentioned. "The Washington Post" does say it has a police source saying that ballistics tests will indeed show that yesterday's shooting in Spotsylvania County was related to the other sniper shootings.
We expect to find out more about that at 9:30 a.m. Eastern, about -- a little bit more than two hours from now. That's when right here they're going to have the first news briefing of the day.
Also, we should have a chance to get more information at the bottom of this hour when I have a chance here to interview Doug Duncan, the executor for Montgomery County.
Here's what we do know. A 53-year-old man from Philadelphia, Kenneth Bridges, was on a business trip when he did what so many people do when they're in their car on a business trip. He stopped to get gas. And that led to the end of his life.
Our Charles Molineaux is at the Exxon gas station in Spotsylvania County. Just to give you your bearings, that's about 70 miles from where I sit right here in Montgomery County.
Charles, good morning.
CHARLES MOLINEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Daryn.
We've actually relocated to where Spotsylvania officials are going to be giving us an update at about 10:00 Eastern time. That'd be three hours from now. We're standing by for that to get underway shortly.
And of course what we're seeing here appears to be stark new evidence of just how wily and bold this sniper is, assuming this was another attack by the sniper, which does indeed now appear to be the case.
Keep in mind that this is the second time that he has come into this area. It is not as if the police were not up to speed and were not trying to be ready for this kind of thing. They were already here. In fact, within minutes of when yesterday's shooting happened, the cops were setting up the roadblocks, the dragnet was out.
And still the killer got away.
The victim's been identified as 53-year-old Kenneth Bridges from Philadelphia. He was a businessman with six kids. He was headed home from a trip. He stopped for gas, and he was shot.
Now, last night, a friend of his family told reporters the family's devastated and is hoping to see justice done.
Again, police found themselves looking for a white van. Witnesses near the scene say they heard the shot, then saw a van making a quick turn onto an I-95 entrance ramp. This looks to be the second time the sniper has hit in Spotsylvania County. This was the place where the sniper first moved out of that tight area in which the shootings have been taking place around Montgomery County, Maryland, and just inside of Washington, where the first six of the murders happened.
Remember, a week ago a woman was shot and wounded outside a mall here. This has made for some scary times in this area, especially area schools. We've actually got three schools lined up along U.S. 1 within easy access of two exits on I-95.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: We are very scared. Everybody's scared. We're scared to go the store, we're scared to pump gas.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: It's horrible. I moved here from Los Angeles, and I -- they had drive-by shooting there. And I thought this was a nice little town...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOLINEAUX: At Massaponax High School and several schools around the area, the SAT tests, which were supposed to be administered today, have now been put off, as have numerous events throughout the area as people are really getting scared. And something really demonstrating the boldness of this killer, Daryn, as we have been looking over the course of the past day, this shooting actually happened as a Virginia state trooper was working an accident right across the street from the gas station where Bridges was shot.
And this isn't even the first time that this shooter has acted apparently without concern about the proximity of the cops. The very first shooting on October 2 happened right across the street from a police district station. So a very bold killer indeed, Daryn.
KAGAN: And Charles, in fact, we're seeing -- and Charles, in fact, we're seeing a trend here. If you add up the numbers, this will be the ninth heavily -- ninth shooting in a heavily trafficked area, the fourth at a gas station, also, like three of the other shootings, this would be close to a highway interchange or place that would make for a quick and easy getaway.
MOLINEAUX: Actually, Daryn, with the exception of the first six murders, which happened, again, in that tightly grouped area in Maryland, in Montgomery County, and then just inside of Washington, D.C., all of the shootings happened within very easy access of an entrance ramp to a significant interstate or U.S. highway. Yes, this guy was looking for a getaway.
KAGAN: Absolutely. Charles Molineaux in Spotsylvania County, as you mentioned, 10:00 a.m. Eastern, that's when we expect the briefing from there, a half-hour earlier, we expect it from here in Montgomery County.
And as Thomas and Carol, as we toss it back to you, Charles touched on this a little bit, a big part of people's lives here and this weekend all around the D.C. area, basically, if you had a school activity and it was outdoors, it is canceled. It is not happening. And that includes basically your high school football games. There was supposed to be a huge soccer tournament for girls in the area here this weekend, that is canceled as well, people sticking very close to home.
Back to you.
ROBERTS: Yes, Daryn, so many people trying...
KAGAN: And also want to -- Sorry. Just want to let you know that at the bottom of the hour in about 20 minutes, I'll have the chance to talk with Doug Duncan. He is the executive of Montgomery County. We hope to get some information in advance of that news conference that's set for 9:30 a.m. Eastern.
ROBERTS: Yes, Daryn, as you point out, so many people trying to stay out of harm's way, yet no one knows what harm's way is right now. We'll be talking to you again. Our Daryn Kagan live for us this morning in Montgomery County, Maryland, 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
Sniper>
