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CNN Saturday Morning News

Interview With Don Clark

Aired December 06, 2003 - 07:42   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.


HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Police in Columbus, Ohio will be closing part of the city's main highway for a couple of hours this evening to further their investigation into the recent shootings in that area. Officials say all 14 shootings are related because of their proximity. And five of the shootings have been directly linked through ballistics. Police have received more than 1,000 tips on the case, but they admit they have no motive or suspects.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF DEPUTY STEVE MARTIN, FRANKLIN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: We still don't believe that we should call this individual a sniper because, one, that denotes a military person in camouflage hiding and shooting from long distances. That may or may not be the issue. We're not prepared to make that jump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Those turnpike shootings in Columbus, Ohio have police baffled. Fourteen incidents so far, as we said, including the fatal shooting of one woman. The FBI is helping to profile a suspect, so we want to talk about that a little bit this morning.

Joining us from New York to explain the process is former FBI Agent Don Clark.

Mr. Clark, thanks for being with us this morning.

I want to follow up, if I could, on that sound that we just heard about not waiting to too quickly call this individual or individuals a sniper.

Explain that to us a little bit better. Is it strictly just because of where he or she or a group may be shooting from?

DON CLARK, FORMER FBI LEAD INVESTIGATOR: Well, I think that might be just a matter of semantics. And I think what they might be saying -- and I don't want to put words into their mouth, Heidi -- but to really connote, to really define it as a sniper gives another specific to it, and he's talking about training. But somebody that's in a clandestine position shooting at someone else, in my opinion, that's a sniper. And I think that's what we're all going to look at.

But that notwithstanding, what you've got on your hands here is a large crime scene that you've got to work towards to try to find some evidence, to really connect a bullet with the person who fired the bullet, whether you call it a sniper or something else. COLLINS: Well, and I remember in the D.C. area sniper, it took a while for them to call them that, as well. They were afraid that it would possibly compliment them, saying that they had all of this training when really, you know, no one knew at that point.

CLARK: Yes, and, you know, I think law enforcement, and we all want to be careful to not really pin a label on a particular situation that may not be warranted, whether it's a sniper or whether it's something else.

But I think when you look at the facts of the case that we know it as of now, you have someone in a clandestine location. They're shooting at targets, unidentified or whatever the case may be, and, in some cases, they're doing a pretty good job of it. That means they're a very accurate shot. So the results happen to be the same.

COLLINS: But let me ask you this, though, Mr. Clark. You bring up a good point. I mean there have been 14 shootings and tragically a 62-year-old woman is now dead. But 14 shootings, is this person trying to kill people?

CLARK: Well, I would suspect that under that circumstance that it would be very difficult. I mean you -- what we know of this situation, Heidi, is that we've got vehicles moving along a freeway at a pretty high rate of speed, and that is not an easy shot, even for some of the best, if you will, well trained snipers, to take.

I would say that there's no other incentive for being out there than trying to kill someone. And whether they are or not, they have already and if they continue to do that, then somebody else may, luckily or not -- unlucky for the person -- be killed.

COLLINS: Of course, as you know, in some of the details that have come out about this, there's been at least one report of juveniles seen in the area. This early on, should any one group actually be more closely looked at or even excluded at this point?

CLARK: I don't think so. I don't think at this point you exclude anybody unless you have evidence. Now, clearly, the police have much more evidence than we do. But unless you have evidence, then that's a direction that you might want to make your priority. But I think you've got to look at a whole gamut of strategies, a whole gamut of scenarios as to who could possibly be there. But I don't think it would be appropriate to pin a label on a particular group at this time, particularly without evidence.

COLLINS: All right, let's talk, if we could, now, about the federal prosecutor that was killed.

How likely is it, from what you know about that case, that Jonathan Luna actually knew his perpetrator?

CLARK: Well, you know, just from what I know of this case, it seems to me a bizarre situation that a person would travel to certain distances and then end up in the physical condition that they found the body. There had to be other people there. So the question has to be what is the motivation behind doing this type of thing.

Clearly, it's not robbery. Everything was there. So what else could it be?

And I think that's the task ahead for the prosecutors now and the law enforcement people is to try to determine that task.

It certainly appears to me that someone definitely knew him and had intents of doing him severe harm in this fashion.

COLLINS: How often is it that FPs are under these sorts of threats and this type of danger? I know it has been some time since a federal prosecutor has been killed. But they're dealing with big cases every single day.

CLARK: Well, you know, Heidi, a good point. You know, FPs, and all law enforcement entities, crime now has become so complex and violence has really just absorbed our society, that you get more threats today than you have in years gone by.

My experience has been that rarely do you really have this type of action taken because this is very severe. But when you do have it taken like this, what you've got to do -- and I'm sure what the prosecutors are doing and the FBI and all the law enforcement people -- are going to leave no stones unturned to try to solve this, because this goes to the very fabric of our justice system, if it is, in fact, someone that he was involved with, either prosecuting or not taking it out. And you just can't let that stand.

COLLINS: Former FBI Agent Don Clark.

Mr. Clark, we appreciate your time this morning very much.

CLARK: Thank you, Heidi.

Good to be with you.

COLLINS: 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 December 6, 2003 - 07:42   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Police in Columbus, Ohio will be closing part of the city's main highway for a couple of hours this evening to further their investigation into the recent shootings in that area. Officials say all 14 shootings are related because of their proximity. And five of the shootings have been directly linked through ballistics. Police have received more than 1,000 tips on the case, but they admit they have no motive or suspects.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF DEPUTY STEVE MARTIN, FRANKLIN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: We still don't believe that we should call this individual a sniper because, one, that denotes a military person in camouflage hiding and shooting from long distances. That may or may not be the issue. We're not prepared to make that jump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Those turnpike shootings in Columbus, Ohio have police baffled. Fourteen incidents so far, as we said, including the fatal shooting of one woman. The FBI is helping to profile a suspect, so we want to talk about that a little bit this morning.

Joining us from New York to explain the process is former FBI Agent Don Clark.

Mr. Clark, thanks for being with us this morning.

I want to follow up, if I could, on that sound that we just heard about not waiting to too quickly call this individual or individuals a sniper.

Explain that to us a little bit better. Is it strictly just because of where he or she or a group may be shooting from?

DON CLARK, FORMER FBI LEAD INVESTIGATOR: Well, I think that might be just a matter of semantics. And I think what they might be saying -- and I don't want to put words into their mouth, Heidi -- but to really connote, to really define it as a sniper gives another specific to it, and he's talking about training. But somebody that's in a clandestine position shooting at someone else, in my opinion, that's a sniper. And I think that's what we're all going to look at.

But that notwithstanding, what you've got on your hands here is a large crime scene that you've got to work towards to try to find some evidence, to really connect a bullet with the person who fired the bullet, whether you call it a sniper or something else. COLLINS: Well, and I remember in the D.C. area sniper, it took a while for them to call them that, as well. They were afraid that it would possibly compliment them, saying that they had all of this training when really, you know, no one knew at that point.

CLARK: Yes, and, you know, I think law enforcement, and we all want to be careful to not really pin a label on a particular situation that may not be warranted, whether it's a sniper or whether it's something else.

But I think when you look at the facts of the case that we know it as of now, you have someone in a clandestine location. They're shooting at targets, unidentified or whatever the case may be, and, in some cases, they're doing a pretty good job of it. That means they're a very accurate shot. So the results happen to be the same.

COLLINS: But let me ask you this, though, Mr. Clark. You bring up a good point. I mean there have been 14 shootings and tragically a 62-year-old woman is now dead. But 14 shootings, is this person trying to kill people?

CLARK: Well, I would suspect that under that circumstance that it would be very difficult. I mean you -- what we know of this situation, Heidi, is that we've got vehicles moving along a freeway at a pretty high rate of speed, and that is not an easy shot, even for some of the best, if you will, well trained snipers, to take.

I would say that there's no other incentive for being out there than trying to kill someone. And whether they are or not, they have already and if they continue to do that, then somebody else may, luckily or not -- unlucky for the person -- be killed.

COLLINS: Of course, as you know, in some of the details that have come out about this, there's been at least one report of juveniles seen in the area. This early on, should any one group actually be more closely looked at or even excluded at this point?

CLARK: I don't think so. I don't think at this point you exclude anybody unless you have evidence. Now, clearly, the police have much more evidence than we do. But unless you have evidence, then that's a direction that you might want to make your priority. But I think you've got to look at a whole gamut of strategies, a whole gamut of scenarios as to who could possibly be there. But I don't think it would be appropriate to pin a label on a particular group at this time, particularly without evidence.

COLLINS: All right, let's talk, if we could, now, about the federal prosecutor that was killed.

How likely is it, from what you know about that case, that Jonathan Luna actually knew his perpetrator?

CLARK: Well, you know, just from what I know of this case, it seems to me a bizarre situation that a person would travel to certain distances and then end up in the physical condition that they found the body. There had to be other people there. So the question has to be what is the motivation behind doing this type of thing.

Clearly, it's not robbery. Everything was there. So what else could it be?

And I think that's the task ahead for the prosecutors now and the law enforcement people is to try to determine that task.

It certainly appears to me that someone definitely knew him and had intents of doing him severe harm in this fashion.

COLLINS: How often is it that FPs are under these sorts of threats and this type of danger? I know it has been some time since a federal prosecutor has been killed. But they're dealing with big cases every single day.

CLARK: Well, you know, Heidi, a good point. You know, FPs, and all law enforcement entities, crime now has become so complex and violence has really just absorbed our society, that you get more threats today than you have in years gone by.

My experience has been that rarely do you really have this type of action taken because this is very severe. But when you do have it taken like this, what you've got to do -- and I'm sure what the prosecutors are doing and the FBI and all the law enforcement people -- are going to leave no stones unturned to try to solve this, because this goes to the very fabric of our justice system, if it is, in fact, someone that he was involved with, either prosecuting or not taking it out. And you just can't let that stand.

COLLINS: Former FBI Agent Don Clark.

Mr. Clark, we appreciate your time this morning very much.

CLARK: Thank you, Heidi.

Good to be with you.

COLLINS: 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