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CNN Live Sunday

Sniper on the Loose, Part II

Aired October 20, 2002 - 17:28   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.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Now more of our coverage of the shooting in Ashland, Virginia and the ongoing investigation involving the sniper shootings in the D.C./Maryland/Virginia area. And in about 30 minutes or so, we will be taking you back to Ashland, Virginia, where there will be another scheduled briefing by investigators, but for now, let's go to Montgomery County, Maryland, which is sort of the epicenter of this command post investigation of the sniper investigation, and that's where our Daryn Kagan is now. Hi there, Daryn.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi once again, Fred. Yes, this does remain to be the lead agency in this investigation and the task force. It will be really interesting to see what police have to say in Ashland, Virginia at the top of the hour. They had said earlier today at their last briefing that they were going to cut down on these media briefings, and only were going to hold that if there was information to pass along, so of course, we will be listening with great interest.

Meanwhile, the prime piece of evidence that police are looking to that could conclusively link last night's shooting to the other sniper shootings remains inside that patient who is fighting for his life in Richmond today. Doctors have not been able to retrieve that bullet just yet. Still, police with their investigation explain why they're going on the premise that last night's shooting is related to the other sniper shootings over the last two weeks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COL STUART COOK, SHERIFF, HANOVER COUNTY: We're still waiting for the forensic evidence to come back to us to verify that for sure. We are acting -- we are acting as if it is. We will continue on that mode until we know that it is not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Meanwhile, as I mentioned, that 37-year-old man who was shot last night, he continues to fight for his life. He has extensive injuries through many organs. The bullet basically ripped apart the inside of his abdomen, including his stomach and his pancreas and his spleen. He underwent surgery last night. He will undergo more surgery today. Most importantly, they are withholding his identity, trying to protect him. They consider him a witness to this crime. Let's listen more about his condition.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DR. RAO IVATURY: We received a 37-year-old gentleman last night with a single gunshot wound to the upper abdomen. He had injuries to the multiple organs in the abdomen and chest. We had to remove part of his stomach, pancreas and the spleen. And he's presently in the trauma intensive care unit in a very critical condition. And we plan to return him to the operating room this evening for further treatment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: As we said, he continues to fight for his life. On a sad note, tomorrow there will be funeral services held tomorrow. The services will be held for FBI analyst Linda Franklin. She's the woman who lost her life last Monday at the Home Depot in Falls Church, Virginia. Fredricka, back to you.

WHITFIELD: Daryn, let's talk about the precautions that are being taken around the public school area of Richmond, Virginia. We heard from school superintendents there who said, very similar to what we saw in the Washington area, that schools will be on lockdown. And kids will not be allowed to be playing outside, having recess or classes outside.

KAGAN: Yes. That also means that a lot of school activities, after-school activities will be canceled.

Another thing that we have not really talked about today, Fredricka, is the geographical location that we're talking about. This area is so far removed from the Washington, D.C. area. This is a place that parents and teachers really didn't think they would have to make this kind of a decision and face this type of situation like they have for the last two or three weeks here in the Washington, D.C. area.

Another thing you will see at schools in Richmond and Ashland and Hanover County tomorrow what they are calling a highly visible police presence. We will be watching for it.

WHITFIELD: And Daryn, have authorities there in the Montgomery County area said anything about what people are likely to expect in that area this week?

KAGAN: So far, it seems status quo. It seemed like at the end of last week, Fredricka, you were starting to get a sense that people were ready to start kind of taking back their lives and scaling back on some of the precaution, but I think last night's shooting is going to make a lot of people think twice about that.

WHITFIELD: All right, Daryn Kagan from Montgomery County, thanks very much.

Let's talk more about the latest shooting victim who remains in critical condition outside of the Richmond area. He underwent a three-hour operation last night, and a doctor says another surgery is planned for either this evening or tomorrow morning. They are optimistic, even though the bullet tore through the man's abdomen, damaging, as Daryn explained, several vital organs.

Dr. Marc Siegel of the New York University Medical School joins us now to talk more about this type of bullet wound, and exactly what the recovery just might be for this still unidentified 37-year-old man. Good to see you, Dr. Siegel.

DR. MARC SIEGEL, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY MED. SCHOOL: Hi, Fredricka, how are you.

WHITFIELD: I'm fine. We heard from one of the doctors at the hospital who said that the patient was not stable. And that's why they made the decision not to go any further to try to retrieve this bullet. Perhaps it would cause even further damage, right?

SIEGEL: That's right. In fact, going in trying to get the bullet out can cause more damage to these organs. The problem is that, you know, a bullet from this type of a gun goes in very far and it's a very damaging bullet, and the abdomen has some very vital organs that have a very, very high blood supply, especially the spleen. And this bullet went through the spleen.

Patient like that has a big risk of bleeding to death. So the first thing they have got to do is give him fluids and blood, stabilize him. They brought him to the O.R. the first time, no doubt, to try to tie off any of that bleeding and get these organs so that they weren't bleeding anymore. This is the biggest, most important thing. They have to stabilize the patient.

WHITFIELD: Perhaps one thing the doctors say that this 37-year- old man has on his side is that he's young and that he's a healthy man. But as you say, they had to remove his stomach, his pancreas and even spleen. How common is it when you are talking about abdominal gunshot wounds that a lot of times investigators or surgeons will choose to leave the bullet in there altogether, even long-term?

SIEGEL: That's a good question, Fredricka. The determination is made on where the bullet ends up. In fact, and whether there's fragments off the bullet. They have got to watch those very carefully to see that they're not close to vital organs, like the aorta, the big artery that runs through the abdomen. You have got to be very careful that the bullet is not eroding close to that.

Luckily, they can follow it with routine X-rays, because the metal from the bullet will show up on an X-ray. So they keep monitoring his vital organs and make sure that the patient doesn't bleed too much. As you pointed out, the man's youth is definitely on his side.

WHITFIELD: Well, let's talk about those X-rays. Our Jason Carroll talked a little bit earlier that they have taken a series of X-rays, but in a case like this, when these X-rays might end up being quite important in the ongoing investigation, is it likely that doctors would take another series of X-rays and position, perhaps, the body a little differently, or maybe even use a different kind of level of technology in order to aid in this investigation? SIEGEL: Yeah, I think that the doctors, of course, want to make sure that the patient does well. And they're very aware of the need for ballistic information for the ongoing investigation. They can do a series of CAT scans that are better at both following where the bullet is, how close it is to the spine, how close it is to the vital organs, and also they may be able to give the FBI some information about the bullet from some of these tests.

WHITFIELD: And CAT scans are also instrumental in investigations like this?

SIEGEL: Yeah. Well, CAT scans are just a higher resolution. It's a computerized X-ray, essentially. It will look at many different angles at once, the way a computer does. So you get the bullet from all its different angles, and you get a much higher resolution. So, they should be able to get a better idea what kind of a bullet it is.

WHITFIELD: All right, Dr. Marc Siegel of New York University Medical Center. Thank you very much for joining us. Appreciate it.

SIEGEL: Thank you, Fredricka.

Well, up next, reports say police are also looking at now credit card records from the gas stations where the sniper has already struck. They want to see if perhaps the sniper may have cased these areas before the shootings took place. We'll talk to a criminologist about that, and the investigators' other tactics when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The army of investigators tracking the sniper is leaving no stone unturned. "TIME" magazine is reporting investigators are trying to match the ink used to write a message on the Tarot card that was left at one crime scene. They're also looking at credit card receipts from gas stations near all of the shooting locations, on the chance that perhaps the sniper may have gassed up or at least cased those scenes before the crimes took place.

CNN criminologist Casey Jordan joins us from New York, and CNN security analyst Kelly McCann joins us from Washington. And it's good to see both of you.

Well, Kelly, let me begin with you. If we can talk quickly about the potential gas station credit card receipts. Do you suppose that this is a stretch that perhaps this sniper would have visited these locations, used his credit card at these locations before actually carrying out these crimes?

KELLY MCCANN, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: Well, we're in the sleeve rolling up phase right now. I mean, the police are putting in incredible hours. So what they're doing now is they are drilling down into the most common denominators they can find. If you think about it, it would be of great interest for this person to see the reverse angle from where the point of impact would be out to potential final firing positions. So, without question, it would be of value. What they're going to do is try to establish a chain of continuity of different locations where murders have occurred and see if there's consistency.

WHITFIELD: Casey, it certainly sounds like a stretch, but earlier when you and I spoke, we talked about the potential calling cards that this sniper or spree killer, serial killer, whichever he needs to be labeled at this point just might leave, and perhaps would this be something like a calling card if this were the case?

CASEY JORDAN, CNN CRIMINOLOGIST: In terms of whether he would or they might actually case a gas station and purchase gas there, that would make sense, because everything indicates that this person's highly organized. But would they actually use a credit card and leave that kind of evidence? I truly believe that this shooter is far smarter than that. Very likely visited in advance. Certainly possible that he or they purchased gasoline, but surely would have paid by cash.

So, it's good to be looking at the receipts. We can't rule anything out. But this particular shooter is not subtle. If he wants you to know that he has been there, he will leave his calling card.

WHITFIELD: Kelly, let's talk about the ink that FBI investigators are reportedly examining closer, the ink left on the Tarot cards that were left or the Tarot card, I should say, the singular card that was left in the Prince George's County school shooting area. Is this a stretch to be able to lift some sort of physical evidence from this ink or match it up to, you know, a common ink or pen that would be used?

MCCANN: No. This is the sweaty brow phase of the investigation. More hard work. Basically what they're trying to do is -- in the Vietnam era, is was very common for units to have unit death cards, obviously unauthorized. And this person may have picked up that from reading, and you know, as we have discussed, wanting to learn about being a sniper.

Now why the ink? Because if they can substantiate what type of ink that is, and if they have other evidence that also has ink or inks on them and they came from desperate sources, the link could create a crucial part of the investigation. So really, what you are hearing about is police work that happens all the time that just most people don't consider, but these guys are working feverishly.

WHITFIELD: Let's talk about the shooting last night in Ashland, Virginia. Still no official link being made, but investigators have come out and said quite openly today that they are treating this crime scene as though there is a link. However, investigators also admit that they have essentially cleaned up the crime scene area. They have removed the tape. Kelly, does this give you an indicator that they simply have all that they could possibly gather from that crime scene, and given it wasn't that long of a stretch of time, that maybe they didn't get a whole lot?

MCCANN: No. I don't think so at all, Fredricka. I think they're done with it, because they would never abandon it and leave it open to the elements and casual passerby to go in and contaminate the scene. However, think of the manpower they had out there. Undoubtedly, the place was really, really driven over. I mean, they really looked at it very closely. And only after the command officer on scene, the on scene commander said OK, that's it, we've gotten as much as we're going to get out of here, would they ever think of abandoning it.

WHITFIELD: Casey, there's been very little that's been predictable about this string of shootings. Last night's shooting, perhaps one thing that is a common denominator that it appears as though this shooter may have taken considerable time in which to find the perfect perch in which to fire a perfect shot.

JORDAN: Which only supports, again, the idea that this is a highly organized killer. And probably he is even being more careful than ever. Again, the guy or the pair, whichever it might be, they're not idiots. And for the last five days, we have heard nothing from the police except that they plan to step up all of their surveillance. They have these reaction plans in place throughout all the counties and all the states. They're using satellite technology, they're using helicopters and planes.

I mean, you don't have to be a criminologist to figure out that the best bet is to leave the perimeter and take extraordinary care if you plan to continue.

Again, no one has predicted that this person is going to just cease, become so afraid of being caught that he just decides to quit shooting altogether. Far more likely, you will see protracted cooling off periods, but more likely, you are going to see increased care, amazing planning and rationalization going to any further incidents.

WHITFIELD: And Casey, you talk about the organization of this sniper or snipers, and it seems as though investigators are very much attuned to that. They are paring down their public offerings of information. and even the investigators have said they're quite certain that this shooter or shooters are watching the coverage. They're reading the newspapers. They're very much aware of what the public knows.

JORDAN: Absolutely. And this would be completely consistent with what we call the pseudo-commando psychology. It's a very common thing that we would see among spree killers. And again, I hate to sound like a broken record, but this person is an amalgam of several different typologies. A little bit spree, a little bit serial. Some of the psychology fits that of a mass murderer.

And because you have all of these wildcards, police really do have to take very careful precautions to make sure that while they do their responsibility in terms of keeping the public informed and safe, they don't want to give out crucial information that could tip off the perpetrator and forewarn him. But again, everyone's concerned that it will take another incident before this person is caught.

WHITFIELD: All right, Casey Jordan and Kelly McCann, thank you very much for joining us. Appreciate it. JORDAN: Great to be here.

WHITFIELD: And of course, investigators have promised that there just might be another police briefing out of Ashland, Virginia in about 15 minutes from now. And when that happens, CNN will be carrying that live for 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 October 20, 2002 - 17:28   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Now more of our coverage of the shooting in Ashland, Virginia and the ongoing investigation involving the sniper shootings in the D.C./Maryland/Virginia area. And in about 30 minutes or so, we will be taking you back to Ashland, Virginia, where there will be another scheduled briefing by investigators, but for now, let's go to Montgomery County, Maryland, which is sort of the epicenter of this command post investigation of the sniper investigation, and that's where our Daryn Kagan is now. Hi there, Daryn.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi once again, Fred. Yes, this does remain to be the lead agency in this investigation and the task force. It will be really interesting to see what police have to say in Ashland, Virginia at the top of the hour. They had said earlier today at their last briefing that they were going to cut down on these media briefings, and only were going to hold that if there was information to pass along, so of course, we will be listening with great interest.

Meanwhile, the prime piece of evidence that police are looking to that could conclusively link last night's shooting to the other sniper shootings remains inside that patient who is fighting for his life in Richmond today. Doctors have not been able to retrieve that bullet just yet. Still, police with their investigation explain why they're going on the premise that last night's shooting is related to the other sniper shootings over the last two weeks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COL STUART COOK, SHERIFF, HANOVER COUNTY: We're still waiting for the forensic evidence to come back to us to verify that for sure. We are acting -- we are acting as if it is. We will continue on that mode until we know that it is not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Meanwhile, as I mentioned, that 37-year-old man who was shot last night, he continues to fight for his life. He has extensive injuries through many organs. The bullet basically ripped apart the inside of his abdomen, including his stomach and his pancreas and his spleen. He underwent surgery last night. He will undergo more surgery today. Most importantly, they are withholding his identity, trying to protect him. They consider him a witness to this crime. Let's listen more about his condition.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DR. RAO IVATURY: We received a 37-year-old gentleman last night with a single gunshot wound to the upper abdomen. He had injuries to the multiple organs in the abdomen and chest. We had to remove part of his stomach, pancreas and the spleen. And he's presently in the trauma intensive care unit in a very critical condition. And we plan to return him to the operating room this evening for further treatment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: As we said, he continues to fight for his life. On a sad note, tomorrow there will be funeral services held tomorrow. The services will be held for FBI analyst Linda Franklin. She's the woman who lost her life last Monday at the Home Depot in Falls Church, Virginia. Fredricka, back to you.

WHITFIELD: Daryn, let's talk about the precautions that are being taken around the public school area of Richmond, Virginia. We heard from school superintendents there who said, very similar to what we saw in the Washington area, that schools will be on lockdown. And kids will not be allowed to be playing outside, having recess or classes outside.

KAGAN: Yes. That also means that a lot of school activities, after-school activities will be canceled.

Another thing that we have not really talked about today, Fredricka, is the geographical location that we're talking about. This area is so far removed from the Washington, D.C. area. This is a place that parents and teachers really didn't think they would have to make this kind of a decision and face this type of situation like they have for the last two or three weeks here in the Washington, D.C. area.

Another thing you will see at schools in Richmond and Ashland and Hanover County tomorrow what they are calling a highly visible police presence. We will be watching for it.

WHITFIELD: And Daryn, have authorities there in the Montgomery County area said anything about what people are likely to expect in that area this week?

KAGAN: So far, it seems status quo. It seemed like at the end of last week, Fredricka, you were starting to get a sense that people were ready to start kind of taking back their lives and scaling back on some of the precaution, but I think last night's shooting is going to make a lot of people think twice about that.

WHITFIELD: All right, Daryn Kagan from Montgomery County, thanks very much.

Let's talk more about the latest shooting victim who remains in critical condition outside of the Richmond area. He underwent a three-hour operation last night, and a doctor says another surgery is planned for either this evening or tomorrow morning. They are optimistic, even though the bullet tore through the man's abdomen, damaging, as Daryn explained, several vital organs.

Dr. Marc Siegel of the New York University Medical School joins us now to talk more about this type of bullet wound, and exactly what the recovery just might be for this still unidentified 37-year-old man. Good to see you, Dr. Siegel.

DR. MARC SIEGEL, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY MED. SCHOOL: Hi, Fredricka, how are you.

WHITFIELD: I'm fine. We heard from one of the doctors at the hospital who said that the patient was not stable. And that's why they made the decision not to go any further to try to retrieve this bullet. Perhaps it would cause even further damage, right?

SIEGEL: That's right. In fact, going in trying to get the bullet out can cause more damage to these organs. The problem is that, you know, a bullet from this type of a gun goes in very far and it's a very damaging bullet, and the abdomen has some very vital organs that have a very, very high blood supply, especially the spleen. And this bullet went through the spleen.

Patient like that has a big risk of bleeding to death. So the first thing they have got to do is give him fluids and blood, stabilize him. They brought him to the O.R. the first time, no doubt, to try to tie off any of that bleeding and get these organs so that they weren't bleeding anymore. This is the biggest, most important thing. They have to stabilize the patient.

WHITFIELD: Perhaps one thing the doctors say that this 37-year- old man has on his side is that he's young and that he's a healthy man. But as you say, they had to remove his stomach, his pancreas and even spleen. How common is it when you are talking about abdominal gunshot wounds that a lot of times investigators or surgeons will choose to leave the bullet in there altogether, even long-term?

SIEGEL: That's a good question, Fredricka. The determination is made on where the bullet ends up. In fact, and whether there's fragments off the bullet. They have got to watch those very carefully to see that they're not close to vital organs, like the aorta, the big artery that runs through the abdomen. You have got to be very careful that the bullet is not eroding close to that.

Luckily, they can follow it with routine X-rays, because the metal from the bullet will show up on an X-ray. So they keep monitoring his vital organs and make sure that the patient doesn't bleed too much. As you pointed out, the man's youth is definitely on his side.

WHITFIELD: Well, let's talk about those X-rays. Our Jason Carroll talked a little bit earlier that they have taken a series of X-rays, but in a case like this, when these X-rays might end up being quite important in the ongoing investigation, is it likely that doctors would take another series of X-rays and position, perhaps, the body a little differently, or maybe even use a different kind of level of technology in order to aid in this investigation? SIEGEL: Yeah, I think that the doctors, of course, want to make sure that the patient does well. And they're very aware of the need for ballistic information for the ongoing investigation. They can do a series of CAT scans that are better at both following where the bullet is, how close it is to the spine, how close it is to the vital organs, and also they may be able to give the FBI some information about the bullet from some of these tests.

WHITFIELD: And CAT scans are also instrumental in investigations like this?

SIEGEL: Yeah. Well, CAT scans are just a higher resolution. It's a computerized X-ray, essentially. It will look at many different angles at once, the way a computer does. So you get the bullet from all its different angles, and you get a much higher resolution. So, they should be able to get a better idea what kind of a bullet it is.

WHITFIELD: All right, Dr. Marc Siegel of New York University Medical Center. Thank you very much for joining us. Appreciate it.

SIEGEL: Thank you, Fredricka.

Well, up next, reports say police are also looking at now credit card records from the gas stations where the sniper has already struck. They want to see if perhaps the sniper may have cased these areas before the shootings took place. We'll talk to a criminologist about that, and the investigators' other tactics when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The army of investigators tracking the sniper is leaving no stone unturned. "TIME" magazine is reporting investigators are trying to match the ink used to write a message on the Tarot card that was left at one crime scene. They're also looking at credit card receipts from gas stations near all of the shooting locations, on the chance that perhaps the sniper may have gassed up or at least cased those scenes before the crimes took place.

CNN criminologist Casey Jordan joins us from New York, and CNN security analyst Kelly McCann joins us from Washington. And it's good to see both of you.

Well, Kelly, let me begin with you. If we can talk quickly about the potential gas station credit card receipts. Do you suppose that this is a stretch that perhaps this sniper would have visited these locations, used his credit card at these locations before actually carrying out these crimes?

KELLY MCCANN, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: Well, we're in the sleeve rolling up phase right now. I mean, the police are putting in incredible hours. So what they're doing now is they are drilling down into the most common denominators they can find. If you think about it, it would be of great interest for this person to see the reverse angle from where the point of impact would be out to potential final firing positions. So, without question, it would be of value. What they're going to do is try to establish a chain of continuity of different locations where murders have occurred and see if there's consistency.

WHITFIELD: Casey, it certainly sounds like a stretch, but earlier when you and I spoke, we talked about the potential calling cards that this sniper or spree killer, serial killer, whichever he needs to be labeled at this point just might leave, and perhaps would this be something like a calling card if this were the case?

CASEY JORDAN, CNN CRIMINOLOGIST: In terms of whether he would or they might actually case a gas station and purchase gas there, that would make sense, because everything indicates that this person's highly organized. But would they actually use a credit card and leave that kind of evidence? I truly believe that this shooter is far smarter than that. Very likely visited in advance. Certainly possible that he or they purchased gasoline, but surely would have paid by cash.

So, it's good to be looking at the receipts. We can't rule anything out. But this particular shooter is not subtle. If he wants you to know that he has been there, he will leave his calling card.

WHITFIELD: Kelly, let's talk about the ink that FBI investigators are reportedly examining closer, the ink left on the Tarot cards that were left or the Tarot card, I should say, the singular card that was left in the Prince George's County school shooting area. Is this a stretch to be able to lift some sort of physical evidence from this ink or match it up to, you know, a common ink or pen that would be used?

MCCANN: No. This is the sweaty brow phase of the investigation. More hard work. Basically what they're trying to do is -- in the Vietnam era, is was very common for units to have unit death cards, obviously unauthorized. And this person may have picked up that from reading, and you know, as we have discussed, wanting to learn about being a sniper.

Now why the ink? Because if they can substantiate what type of ink that is, and if they have other evidence that also has ink or inks on them and they came from desperate sources, the link could create a crucial part of the investigation. So really, what you are hearing about is police work that happens all the time that just most people don't consider, but these guys are working feverishly.

WHITFIELD: Let's talk about the shooting last night in Ashland, Virginia. Still no official link being made, but investigators have come out and said quite openly today that they are treating this crime scene as though there is a link. However, investigators also admit that they have essentially cleaned up the crime scene area. They have removed the tape. Kelly, does this give you an indicator that they simply have all that they could possibly gather from that crime scene, and given it wasn't that long of a stretch of time, that maybe they didn't get a whole lot?

MCCANN: No. I don't think so at all, Fredricka. I think they're done with it, because they would never abandon it and leave it open to the elements and casual passerby to go in and contaminate the scene. However, think of the manpower they had out there. Undoubtedly, the place was really, really driven over. I mean, they really looked at it very closely. And only after the command officer on scene, the on scene commander said OK, that's it, we've gotten as much as we're going to get out of here, would they ever think of abandoning it.

WHITFIELD: Casey, there's been very little that's been predictable about this string of shootings. Last night's shooting, perhaps one thing that is a common denominator that it appears as though this shooter may have taken considerable time in which to find the perfect perch in which to fire a perfect shot.

JORDAN: Which only supports, again, the idea that this is a highly organized killer. And probably he is even being more careful than ever. Again, the guy or the pair, whichever it might be, they're not idiots. And for the last five days, we have heard nothing from the police except that they plan to step up all of their surveillance. They have these reaction plans in place throughout all the counties and all the states. They're using satellite technology, they're using helicopters and planes.

I mean, you don't have to be a criminologist to figure out that the best bet is to leave the perimeter and take extraordinary care if you plan to continue.

Again, no one has predicted that this person is going to just cease, become so afraid of being caught that he just decides to quit shooting altogether. Far more likely, you will see protracted cooling off periods, but more likely, you are going to see increased care, amazing planning and rationalization going to any further incidents.

WHITFIELD: And Casey, you talk about the organization of this sniper or snipers, and it seems as though investigators are very much attuned to that. They are paring down their public offerings of information. and even the investigators have said they're quite certain that this shooter or shooters are watching the coverage. They're reading the newspapers. They're very much aware of what the public knows.

JORDAN: Absolutely. And this would be completely consistent with what we call the pseudo-commando psychology. It's a very common thing that we would see among spree killers. And again, I hate to sound like a broken record, but this person is an amalgam of several different typologies. A little bit spree, a little bit serial. Some of the psychology fits that of a mass murderer.

And because you have all of these wildcards, police really do have to take very careful precautions to make sure that while they do their responsibility in terms of keeping the public informed and safe, they don't want to give out crucial information that could tip off the perpetrator and forewarn him. But again, everyone's concerned that it will take another incident before this person is caught.

WHITFIELD: All right, Casey Jordan and Kelly McCann, thank you very much for joining us. Appreciate it. JORDAN: Great to be here.

WHITFIELD: And of course, investigators have promised that there just might be another police briefing out of Ashland, Virginia in about 15 minutes from now. And when that happens, CNN will be carrying that live for 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